The Inquisitor's Son
by jinxdoll
Summary: Scorpius Malfoy is the sole survivor of a brutal attack that takes the lives of both his parents, leaving him an orphan in world where he already feels like an outcast. Post DH-epilogue story with the second generation characters and minimal OC involved.
1. Part 1: Three Christmases

The Inquisitor's Son

Part One: Three Christmases

Draco Malfoy was rushing to the hospital. He had received an urgent call while he was out of the country and had to take a portkey back. His stomach was wringing as he raced up to the maternity ward. The hospital was filled with people who had had too much cheer, but considering the season it was expected. Draco soon found the maternity ward. "Hello, Draco Malfoy," he said to the nurse. "I'm looking for my wife. She should already be here." He was out of breath for more than one reason.

"Name?"

"Astoria. She's having a baby."

"Yes, I suppose that's why she would be here," said the nurse in an almost lackadaisical fashion that irritated Draco.

"Where is she?" he demanded, using his haughty tone.

The nurse looked up at him. She paled when she saw him giving him a look that he was used to seeing. "She's in room three," she replied.

It made a little difference because Draco heard a loud scream. "Give me some damn potions or I will kill you!" shouted his wife. He ran off to join her. Perhaps it wasn't a good idea because his usually serene and utterly beautiful wife looked like a demon possessed. The poor intern healer looked petrified of her. Her blue eyes were ablaze and she glared at Draco. "Where the bloody Hell have you been?"

"I came as soon as I got the owl," said Draco. His wife who had been a pillar of calm throughout the pregnancy was now a scary demon and he had never heard her swear before.

"I want potions! It hurts!"

"You said you didn't want any," he reminded her.

"Shut up! You're not the one who's in pain! You had to have an heir!"

Draco was about to tell Astoria that the baby was just as much her idea as his, but he chose to stay quiet. They had been married for a few years and had tried for a while before she had gotten pregnant. The pregnancy had been uneventful up till this point. Draco came up to her side and Astoria grabbed his hand.

"She's only five centimeters dilated," reported the intern as he trembled with fear.

Draco was about to say something, but a contraction hit just then and Astoria didn't scream this time. She heaved and squeezed his hand. "OW" he exclaimed as he felt his bones being crushed. The contraction ended. He glanced at the intern as his wife looked up at the ceiling. "Get her some potions!" demanded Draco.

"I'll see what I can do, Mr. Malfoy," said the intern as he scurried out of there.

Astoria moaned in agony as she asked, "Where were you?"

"I had to settle something in Berlin," replied Draco.

Astoria gave him an expectant look. "Well, did you?"

"Yes, I believe so," he replied. "But it's not worth talking about now."

"Just as long as you were able to finish," breathed Astoria.

That was all they had to say about Draco's work for the moment. They had to be careful about what they said even in the maternity ward of St. Mungo's. The healer came in and said that they couldn't administer any potions for Astoria because she had changed her mind again. She would change her mind back and forth no less than three times that night. Ultimately, by the time she wanted the potions, it was too late. The rest of the labor was painful for Astoria, who was a woman less than average size, and it was almost too much for Draco to see her in that much pain.

Just before dawn, their son was born. Draco cut the umbilical cord as Astoria cried. She held him to their son to her chest. "He's gorgeous," she whispered. "He's so tiny. So, you're the one who's been using me as a Quidditch field?" The baby had very little hair that was platinum blond like his father's.

They were in a world of their own for the hours it took to bring their son into the world. "You want to hold him?" asked Astoria. Draco had never held a baby before. He gave his wife an uncertain look. The baby grunted a bit and cooed towards Draco. "He wants you to hold him, Draco."

"What if I break him?" asked Draco.

"He's a Malfoy, my love. He's not going to break that easily," responded Astoria with her confident tone that made Draco believe in almost anything. He came forward a bit and gathered the infant in his arms. "Hold his head steady," instructed Astoria as she gave her husband an encouraging smile. The baby settled into Draco's arms. "See, you're a natural at this." She sat up as her smile widened.

"You do know what day it is right?"

"His birthday."

"Yes, it's also Christmas, Astoria."

"Oh my goodness, you're right," laughed Astoria. "Happy Christmas, Draco."

"Well, now what I got you for Christmas is really sad compared to him," grinned Draco. "He's the best Christmas present ever."

Astoria stroked the hand that Draco had under the baby's head. "What should we name him?"

"My mother's family has a tradition," replied Draco. "We're named after constellations. Most of us are. We'll have to think about it some more. Just get some rest."

"I don't know if I can sleep now, all I want to do is just look at him," said Astoria. "He's the reason why we have to keep doing what we do."

"Yes, he is," agreed Draco. He turned to look at his wife who was gazing at their son. He watched over them as sleep gently took them both. When his wife finally fell asleep, he stood up and walked up to the window to look outside of it. "Happy Christmas and Happy Birthday, son," he whispered as he kissed his son's head.

***

Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy was completely devastated. His parents told him that they would be spending Christmas at Malfoy Manor with his grandparents. It was the last place he wanted to spend his birthday. Sure, they always gave him double the presents for each occasion, but the price of admission was too high for Scorpius to take.

Draco and Astoria were in deep discussion prior to going to Malfoy Manor. They didn't notice that their son was moping around nearby. He heard them talking about something. "I'm not so sure that Hogwarts would be a good idea," he heard his father say to his mother.

"I agree with you, but what are the other options we have?"

"Drumstrang, but I don't think that's a good fit either. Perhaps a school in America or the one in Switzerland."

"America is an ocean away and I don't think I want him going to school in Switzerland."

His parents were talking about him again. They like to talk about him late at night when they assumed he was in bed. "We have to make a decision. We've been going back and forth for months now. The letter from Hogwarts is coming, Draco, and we still have to look at other schools. They all start on different dates. Hogwarts needs a response by August 31st, so there's still lots of time to consider it," continued Astoria. "What are we going to do?"

"There are more schools in Europe to consider," he said musingly.

Scorpius' parents were strange. The Malfoys moved often because of Astoria's career as a musician. She was a violinist, sometimes performing as a cellist, who played with wizarding orchestras around the world. From the age of two, Scorpius had moved to Paris, Monaco, Tokyo, Brussels, Berlin, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Oslo, Moscow, Hong Kong, Venice, and Cairo. Every time after each engagement, they returned to their home in England. They lived near the Muggle city of Sunderland in Northern England.

His father went on business trips frequently almost every month. Scorpius didn't know exactly what his father did nor did he care to ask because it looked pretty boring. His father had nothing but maps and paperwork in his office, and Scorpius saw no point in his father locking his office. No one would want any of his father's boring paperwork.

"There were some good schools in Asia as well. The one in Hong Kong was an international school," said Draco thoughtfully. "But that would be too far away as well."

Finally, Scorpius couldn't take it anymore. He was nearly eleven years old. "I want to go to Hogwarts," he announced quietly.

Draco and Astoria turned and looked at him. Obviously, they hadn't expected him to be awake. "Scorpius, it's late. You should be in bed. Your birthday is in a few hours," said Astoria.

"No, you're talking about me, I want to know what what's going on," said Scorpius.

Draco and Astoria did that irritating thing that parents did. They silently communicated with each other using their eyes. Scorpius watched this exchange, looking back and forth between them. The first one to speak was his father, "Scorpius, we're just discussing where you'll be going to school next September. You won't be starting for months."

"I want to go to Hogwarts," repeated Scorpius stubbornly. Draco glanced at his wife. He blamed her for their child's stubborn streak.

"Darling, we don't think it would be the best place for you," said Astoria.

Scorpius asked, "Why not? Didn't you and Dad go, Mum? And didn't the rest of our family? Why can't I go?"

"That was before the war, Scorpius," said Draco bracingly. The plan was to decide where he'd go to school and then explain some very important family history. He and Astoria had agreed that they would explain to him before he started going to school about the family's role during the war.

"What about the war? You never talk about it," said Scorpius.

Draco said, "The reason is because our family was on the wrong side. In every war, there are two sides. We were on the side of Voldemort. Your grandfather served him during the first war. On the second war, I served him as well."

"Your father didn't have a choice," added Astoria. "He and your grandparents would have been killed."

Scorpius grew quiet as he listened. His parents went on to explain it all. His father spoke with regret as he told Scorpius their family. It made sense now. His father worried about how what they did during the war would affect Scorpius in school. He warned his son that they would judge him based on his family. Some of them wouldn't even give him a chance and his parents didn't want him to go through that.

"I still want to go to Hogwarts," said Scorpius. "I'm not afraid of what they'll do or say to me. It's not my fault."

Draco and Astoria agreed to wait. The next day the letter from Hogwarts came.

***

For the first time ever, Scorpius Malfoy was allowed to do exactly what he had wanted for his birthday. He got up early for it. There was no need drag himself half-heartedly out of bed like the previous year. His parents normally reserved the night before as the celebration for Christmas, so that they could really celebrate his birthday.

This time on his thirteenth birthday, Scorpius had asked for nothing other than a trip to the city of Cornwall. Cornwall was mostly populated by non-magical people. It was winter time and there were fewer tourists about, both Muggles and wizards took vacations there during the warmer months. Scorpius had really wanted to see the domes of the Eden Project, which were marvels of engineering by anyone's standards. There were other draws like the surf culture and the vineyards where the Muggles produced sparkling wine.

Scorpius' mother had convinced his father that it would be a change of pace away from his father's family. Scorpius' birthday was normally a stuffy, formal affair at his grandparents' house where he was forced to wear his finest robes and sit through a family dinner. Scorpius dreaded his birthday and Christmas every year as a result.

Most people wouldn't recognize Scorpius outside of school. For one thing, he was laughing and talking. He went out of his way not to be noticed in school. His grades were almost the highest of his year, but he hadn't done as well mostly due to lack of class participation. It was just as well because his parents were satisfied with his performance nonetheless.

"Mum! Dad!" called Scorpius from the door that connected their rooms. He got his own room that was connected to his parents through a door. "We have to get going!" The door swung open. His father who was usually so tidy and neat poked his head in. His platinum blond hair was thinning a bit and he looked like he had just gotten out of bed. "We'll be ready soon. Most of the places are closed today, Score."

"I know that," said Scorpius, "but you said that we could go out."

Draco sighed, and then laughed, "Very well. It's your birthday. Let's get all get ready and head out."

Within the next half hour, at Scorpius' unyielding insistence, the Malfoy family were ready to go out for a Christmas Day picnic despite the chill factor. When Scorpius was around his parents, he was more himself. His excitement for the day was catching.

"I have no idea where he gets that energy," said Draco as he took his wife's hand, watching their son. He called out, "Be careful!"

"Let him be, Draco," said Astoria.

"I just want him to be careful," said Draco softly.

His wife gave him a sidelong glance. "There's nothing to worry about here. Everyone assumes we're at your parents. No one would think of us coming here."

Draco said," I hope you're right." He looked at the seashore. It was so serene and calm. He had never seen such tranquility. Astoria knew that Draco was worried about something. She and he had talked about it long into the night as their son slept peacefully in the other room. They had to maintain an appearance of normalcy at least until after Scorpius was safely back at school.

Draco had to admit any good that Scorpius had in him came from Astoria. It had taken a very long time before Draco allowed himself to be a bit happy. He always said that his wife had given him the greatest Christmas gift in the world.

Scorpius was ahead of them. He heard a sound like a swoosh. Something had come at him at an incredible speed. He stopped dead in his tracks. Looking down, he saw red coming through his coat and a sharp pain followed.

Draco noticed he had stopped. "Scorpius, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Dad," he called in a shaky voice. He turned slowly. He was clearly in shock.

Astoria screamed, "Scorpius!"

Draco apparated to his son's side. He had his wand at the ready. Scorpius almost fell as he started to blackout to the screams that he couldn't understand. He heard his mother's voice shouting incantations then her voice was cut off. His father shouted his mother's name. There was nothing he could do. Scorpius prayed for it to end, closing his eyes until the very last moment. He could hear his father screaming and his body hovering over him, protecting him. Then, it all stopped just as quickly as it had come.

Draco shifted his body weight and collapsed right beside him. His face was next to his son's. He labored to breathe. He saw the fear on Scorpius' face. "Don't be afraid," he whispered. "I need you to be brave." He gave Scorpius a weak smile. Scorpius swallowed hard as his father's lips brushed beside his cheek. He felt his father breathe in and out. It was his last breath.

Scorpius held in a scream. He closed his eyes. The next few bits were in flashes. He listened to the roar of the sea. He breathing grew shallow. The sound of a dog barking, followed by anxious voices. Bright lights and sharp things going into his arms. A series of shocks hitting his chest.

When he regained consciousness, he was in a hospital. The odd thing was he felt tube running down his noses and needles in his arms. He groggily noticed that there were bags with clear fluids hanging on metal poles with tubes running down to the needles that were pierced into his skin. There was another contraption with numbers and squiggly lines beeping.

"You're awake," said a nurse in a gentle voice. She peered at his face. "Thank God." Scorpius didn't know what was going on. "Hang on. I need to get Dr. McKellan. I'll be right back," she told him.

The nurse walked by a police officer who was stationed at the door. The police officer walked up to the bed. "My name is DCI Ian Larson. How are you feeling right now, son?'

"Where am I?" croaked Scorpius.

The DCI went to a nearby pitcher and poured some water. He pressed a button to raise the bed. Scorpius was a bit startled by that, but he was even more surprised when the Muggle police officer offered the cup of water to his lips for him to drink. He sipped it gratefully. "We almost lost you back there. What's your name?"

After taking a sip, Scorpius answered, still sounding hoarse, "Scorpius Malfoy."

"You are in the hospital. You lost quite a bit of blood and the wound on your midsection was hard to close up."

"DCI Larson, please save your questions for later," interrupted a man from the door in a white coat. He looked to be about Scorpius' father's age. "I need to tend to him."

"With all due respect, Dr. McKellan, I need to ask him some questions," argued the officer.

"Not without a guardian or child advocate present," retorted Dr. McKellan. "Now please step aside so that I can check his vitals personally."

Scorpius asked the question that no one else seemed to bring up. "Where are my mum and dad?" The three adults froze as they looked at each other. "Where are they?" he demanded as the machine beside him started to beep faster.

"Scorpius, calm down," said DCI Larson as the nurse dashed to the monitor. Dr. McKellan went to he other side of him. "I'm sorry," went on DCI Larson. "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but your parents are dead."

Scorpius began to shake his head furiously. "No, no, no," he muttered as he started to thrash about.

"Shh," hushed the nurse as she reached out to grab his hand.

"Relax, son," said Dr. McKellan. "You'll reopen the wound if you keep moving like that."

"It's all right, darling," said the nurse as Dr. McKellan pushed buttons that were on the bag. It was then that Scorpius started to sob. Dr. McKellen placed his hand over his shoulder. "I wish that was something I could heal," he said. He glanced at the officer, who looked ashamed of himself.

"I'll come back later," said DCI Larson. He left.

Scorpius vigorously rubbed his eyes with the one hand that the nurse wasn't holding. "Is there anyone we can call for you?" asked the nurse.

He thought about it. His grandparents didn't have any way to contact them by Muggle means. He shook his head. "I'm alone," he replied.

"No, you're not," said Dr. McKellan. "You have the entire staff here."

The nurse brought a box of tissues. She offered them to Scorpius. He grabbed a couple of them. "Thank you," he whispered, remembering what his mother said about manners.

"I need to check you," said Dr. McKellan as Scorpius nodded. The doctor pulled the sheets up a bit first before pulling the gown up. "I must say that this is most unusual. The wound looks like ti was done clean, but there were no bullets or any weapons of any kind. I'd say it was a stab wound, but I'm still not sure. It's like you stabbed from the inside going out."

Scorpius was only half listening. He asked, "What's in the bags?"

"Medicine," answered the nurse. She pointed to one of them. "That one is for the pain." She pointed the one next to it, "And this is to keep you hydrated."

"What day is it?"

"It's the 27th of December," answered Dr. McKellan.

Scorpius nodded. "I don't feel any pain," he said. This conversation didn't make any sense to anyone.

"That means the medicine is working. How old are you?"

"Twelve—no thirteen," corrected Scorpius. "My birthday's Christmas." He swallowed hard as he looked up at the ceiling. The doctor gently said, "Rest now, Scorpius."

* * *

Author's Note: Not all of this story will be sad. In a way, Scorpius' life will be much like Harry Potter's. If anyone is interested in previews for upcoming chapters and stuff that doesn't make the final cut, I'll post them on my journal. The twitter is for real life excuses. This story starts at the worst possible time for me.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	2. Part 2: Malfoy Manor

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Two: Malfoy Manor

Dr. McKellan had kept his word. Scorpius wasn't left alone. The nurses rotated to keep him company and Dr. McKellan check up on him constantly. The police officer returned with a social worker and together they took Scorpius' statement. He claimed to not remember most of it because he couldn't give a complete one.

The nurses were kind. Knowing that it was just after Christmas, and that it was also his birthday, they had pulled together to get him a present. Not knowing that Scorpius wasn't a Muggle child, they had given him a remote control helicopter. He only played with it to make them happy. He never felt so alone in his whole life.

The police were trying to find someone, any family that might be around. Strangely, there was no public record of the Malfoys. It would take a few days before the news of the murders of Draco and Astoria Malfoy would reach the Ministry's long reach. The Ministry was also running on minimal staff with the holidays going on. It took a week before anyone had come looking for him.

A tall man came wearing in a suit and looked to be in his early twenties. He had introduced himself as Theodore Lupin. He had the type of appearance that one would soon forget as soon as one saw him. When he entered Scorpius' room, the nurse who was watching over him stood up in alarm. Clearly the nurses had become protective of Scorpius.

Teddy was flanked by Dr. McKellan and DCI Larson. Scorpius was sleeping. "Flora, this is Teddy Lupin. He says he's Scorpius' cousin," the doctor informed her.

Teddy had never laid eyes on Scorpius before. Teddy had seen him only in passing in public places, but they had never said a word to each other. He noticed how small Scorpius looked. Teddy was relieved to see him breathing steadily. It hit Teddy that Scorpius was the same age as Albus Severus Potter.

"He's just starting to heal, Mr. Lupin," said Dr. McKellan. "He lost almost half of his blood supply. It's hard to say how he managed to survive the whole ordeal. His heart had even stopped. We had to jump start his heart." Teddy paled at the doctor's words. Dr. McKellan concluded, "The wound on his abdomen cut through his liver. There was bile that got into his surrounding organs. The wound just stabilized for now. He's lucky to be alive."

"We need official identification of his parents," brought up DCI Larson. "Obviously, your cousin is in no condition to do that."

Teddy nodded. "Sure," he whispered. Teddy only came because of the reports that Aurors were monitoring from the Muggles. He didn't think it was actually true. Teddy knew who Draco and Astoria were. He would have to identify the bodies, if only spare Scorpius from it. Before Teddy left, he walked up to Scorpius, who was still sleeping. "I'll be right back," said Teddy. He followed the police officer out of the room.

So many questions filled Teddy's mind. Why were they even on what looked like a Muggle holiday? DCI Larson spoke, "His father was a brave man. He died protecting him."

"Any leads?" asked Teddy, mentally rebuking himself for sounding like the investigator he was. He was just supposed to be an ordinary citizen.

"Nothing so far. Scorpius doesn't remember much. I'd push harder, but the nurses would put me in the hospital."

"How did they die?"

"Exsanguination. They bleed to death. By the looks of things, his mother had died first. His father held on a bit longer. We had to take Scorpius' clothes into evidence. I've only seen a few murder scenes, but never one as brutal as this. There was so much blood."

Teddy could feel his stomach turn. He walked on with the officer leading the way. It was going to be a very long day. Over the next few hours, Teddy had a lot do. He had to make arrangements such as transporting Scorpius from the Muggle hospital to St. Mungo's and filing reports. The worst duty was going to be informing his grandmother's sister about her son and his wife were dead. Teddy waited around for Scorpius to wake up. The nurses let up their vigil but were nearby.

Scorpius opened his eyes. He turned and saw the unfamiliar face and with no one else in the room, he immediately panicked. He had the call button in one hand, clicking it as he pulled away from Teddy. He wasn't saying anything just whimpering.

"Whoa, calm down, Scorpius," said Teddy straight away. He reached out to touch him, and regretted it as a pair nurses came rushing in. "I'm your cousin, Teddy."

"I don't know who you are!" exclaimed Scorpius. One of the nurses, a male nurse, looked ready to pin Teddy to the floor.

"I'm your grandmother's sister's grandson," said Teddy. He would have said anything to stop that look of fear on Scorpius' face. "I've come to take you home."

"He's bleeding again," said the female nurse. "Hugh, get the bandages and tell Dr. McKellan."

Teddy could see the blood seeping through the bandage. It was obvious that the wound was magically inflicted. "I'm sorry we had to meet like this, Scorpius. I don't know if you even know me. My grandfather was Ted Tonks. He married your grandmother's sister Andromeda."

"Muggle relatives," said Scorpius quietly.

The nurse gave him a questioning look. Before he could say anything else, Dr. McKellan came in with Hugh who was carrying some medical supplies. Teddy stood aside as the doctor examined the wound. "He's healing fast, but the still needs to take it easy," explained Dr. McKellan.

"He needs to be transferred to London where the family he—physician can attend to him," Teddy informed him.

"I don't recommend it. He has been put through quite a trauma," said Dr. McKellan. "He's too delicate right now."

"I understand that," said Teddy. He hadn't expected Scorpius to be so willing to stay around Muggles.

Scorpius looked like his father, but he had inherited some of his mother's softer features. His father was angular and pointy whereas Scorpius was blessed with more angelic features. Teddy thought he had more of a male version of a Veela than Victoire's brother Louis. Teddy could wager money that Scorpius would attract a lot more attention as he got older.

Teddy excused himself. By now some of his owls should be arriving at the Aurors' Headquarters. He apparated away from the hospital in a secluded spot. Not to the Aurors, but to his godfather's house. Teddy entered through the backyard as was his custom. He called out, "Harry!" He walked around, not wanting to go to the house with this. He had little choice.

"Teddy!" greeted Albus, startling Teddy into knocking over an umbrella stand.

Teddy quickly recovered as he tried to smile. "Hey Al, where's your dad? I need to see him."

"DAD!" hollered Albus. "Teddy's here!"

Harry Potter. The famous hero appeared at the doorway. "I heard you come in Teddy." He gave his godson a warm smile.

"I was at the office. Something's happened," said Teddy as he cleared his throat. His usual warm, funny nature was dulled. His hair was a dull brown at this point.

Harry already could see that there was something wrong. "This way," he said.

Teddy followed Harry to his study. As soon as the door was shut, Teddy announced without delay, "Draco and Astoria Malfoy are dead."

Harry looked expressionless at first. "What?" he asked.

"They were murdered on Christmas while on holiday in Cornwall," replied Teddy. "Their son survived but he's in a hospital right now. The doctor won't let me move him."

Harry sank further into his chair. "Christmas was more than a week ago," he said.

"The Muggles didn't know who he was or who his family was. He was in a coma for two days. I only got wind of it because I was checking the Muggle reports for any activity. I didn't believe it myself until I got to the hospital. I had to identify their bodies and they're being transferred to St. Mungo's. Scorpius Malfoy is on his own. I've got to tell his grandparents. What do I do?"

"I'll go tell the Malfoys. Try and keep this quiet until we have more information and tell Dean Thomas that he'll have to go in and talk to the doctor." Harry realized that he hadn't said the wrong word. Or did he? "Scorpius Malfoy is at a Muggle hospital?"

Teddy nodded. "They saved his life."

"How did they die?" asked Harry. "And why would Malfoy take his family to Cornwall?"

Teddy had an answer for the first question and answered it. Upon hearing it, Harry was completely shocked. It was just sickening to hear just how much blood there must have been. "How much did Scorpius lose?"

"Almost half. The doctor was amazed that he was still alive. They had to do a blood transfusion and shock his heart when it stopped."

"Let Dean Thomas go and prep him for transfer."

"How do we get permission? The Muggles made it clear that we had to get a guardian to approve it."

"Get the paperwork ready and I'll have the Malfoys sign it," said Harry.

Teddy got up. "Lucius Malfoy's going to have a fit when he finds out that the Muggles saved his grandson."

"I'll let them know."

"I have to go and get Healer Thomas," said Teddy.

***

Harry remembered the last time he had been to Malfoy Manor. It was over twenty years ago. It was still a foreboding and massive place. He walked up to the front door and knocked. The door was answered by a house elf.

"Please tell Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy that Harry Potter is here to see them about their son," he said. She looked at him fearfully and then went to fetch them. "Thank you," he called after her. Harry had noticed how she neglected to invite him inside. He stood on the front steps for a while before Mrs. Malfoy came.

Narcissa Malfoy had saved Harry's life once in order to get news about her son. "Hello Mrs. Malfoy," he said.

"What brings you here, Mr. Potter?"

"I am sorry to inform you that something has happened to your son and his family," said Harry.

Narcissa stared at him. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice trembled.

"Draco and his wife are dead," answered Harry.

Narcissa's already pale features had turned to ash. "No," she cried.

"I'm sorry. I'm so very sorry," whispered Harry. He went on, "Your grandson is alive. He is under the care of an excellent physician."

Harry had been so focused on Narcissa that he hadn't noticed that the house elf and disappeared and Lucius Malfoy had arrived.

"What is the meaning of this?" demanded Lucius. "How dare you come here, Potter!"

"Lucius, he said that something's happened to Draco. He and Astoria are dead," sobbed Narcissa.

Lucius' features didn't soften at all at the news as his wife looked as if she was ready to collapse. "Are you certain?" asked Lucius.

Harry answered, "Yes, they were positively identified and their bodies are being transferred to St. Mungo's for further autopsy."

"Transferred? From where? Cornwall?" asked Narcissa.

Harry nodded. "Yes, your grandson was almost fatally injured during the attack. He's in stable condition at a hospital in Cornwall. We're trying to get him transferred to St. Mungo's."

"What hospital? There isn't a wizarding hospital near there!" exclaimed Lucius.

"A Muggle one. They were the ones who saved your grandson's life and he has been in their care for over a week now."

Narcissa was shaking as tears flowed from her eyes. Lucius made no move to comfort his wife rather he was fixated on what Harry was saying. Harry felt pity for Narcissa as the house elf grabbed her hand to keep her steady. She was saying something, but it was incoherent. Lucius blatantly ignored his wife's distress. "He is under the care of those non-magical savages? What did they do to him?"

"He almost bled to death. They had to do a blood transfusion on him and his heart had given out. They got it to start again."

At this Lucius was even angrier. He roared, "They used their inferior blood on my grandson?! Not a drop of magic was used?"

Harry was getting angry at Lucius anti-Muggle fixation. "If it was so inferior, then why did it save his life?" he asked quietly. "I will take my leave of you now. I will send further information as to when the transfer is complete. Until then, the Aurors will be investigating this crime."

"You had to be the one to come, didn't you, Potter?" snarled Lucius Malfoy.

Harry stepped away from them. He said in a very calm and sincere voice, "Believe me, Mr. Malfoy, I take no pleasure in any of this."

* * *

Author's Note: Lucius Malfoy hasn't changed much. He is still a bastard and it will only get worst as the story progresses. I have put up a character list on the journal for anyone who is interested in knowing the players in this piece. It's going to be a long story, and these first few stories are kind of staggered in length. If anyone is curious, they can take a look at the character list which does contain spoilers for the story. Special thanks to kittenonabroomstick for giving the first review.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	3. Part 3: St Mungo’s

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Three: St. Mungo's

Over the next few days, Scorpius was safely transferred to St. Mungo's while his grandparents made funeral arrangements. Healer Thomas had taken over Scorpius' care while the Aurors had stepped in to begin the investigation. Harry attempted to conduct the interview with Teddy present. Scorpius had seen the famous wizard before, but only in passing twice on Platform 9 ¾ while waiting to board Hogwarts Express. Scorpius didn't have any problems with the Potters. They like everyone made assumptions about him based on his family's past.

"Hello Scorpius," greeted Harry. "My name is Harry Potter."

"I know who you are, Mr. Potter," said Scorpius.

Harry nodded. "How have they been treating you?"

"Okay," answered Scorpius.

"I need to ask you a few questions about what happened."

Scorpius gave only a slight nod, much like the way his father did back at the station the year before last. "I need you to tell us as much as you can," prompted Harry.

Scorpius sighed as he looked up at the ceiling. "I told the other police officer what happened already. Just ask them. They used some kind of recording device."

"I'd rather hear it from you directly," said Harry gently. "You might remember something else that you didn't tell them."

Scorpius shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it." He swallowed hard.

Teddy said, "It's all right, Score."

Scorpius snapped at him, "Don't call me that. Only my dad calls me that."

Teddy backed off, not correcting Scorpius. Harry said, "You know about me, don't you, Scorpius? Everyone knows what happened to me. And about Teddy's family, too."

"At least you didn't have to lay there feeling your dad's body go cold," muttered Scorpius. His eyes felt like they were stinging.

"What's going on here?" demanded a sharp voice. "You again, Potter?"

Scorpius wasn't relieved to hear his grandfather's voice. "Oh great," he muttered under his breath.

"Mr. Malfoy, we are investigating a crime. We've already lost time and the trail will go cold," Harry informed him.

"My grandson has been through enough. Those Muggles tainted him with their blood," seethed Lucius.

Appalled Teddy exclaimed, "And you'd rather have him bleed to death? They saved his life!"

"Get out," said Scorpius softly. "Get out all of you. Please just leave him alone."

Harry nodded, "Let's talk, Mr. Malfoy. Teddy, come on."

The three men left the room. Harry was not shocked by Lucius' concern over the blood transfusion. The Muggles obviously didn't have potions to restore the blood. "He has changed, but not because of the blood. It was the attack that has left him like that. He is still your grandson. The worst thing you can do to him now is turn your back on him," reasoned Harry. He was beating his head against a stone, cold bigot.

Teddy held his tongue. How he loathed Lucius Malfoy. Despite trying to be professionally detached, Teddy was worried about Scorpius' well being.

Lucius said, "This is a disgrace of everything my family stands for. I will not have it."

Harry blinked at him, feeling his temper rise. "His parents are dead!" His voice echoed. "You really are a bastard."

"Lucius," interrupted a soft voice. Teddy did a double take for a split second he thought it was his gran. Narcissa Malfoy gawked at her husband. "What did you mean just now?" Teddy recognized that tone in her voice. He took a step back away from her.

"He is tainted. I will not have him in my house."

"I see. You would abandon you grandson for having Muggle blood that saved his life? It is a miracle that he's life. Those Muggles were miracle workers," said Narcissa.

"It would have been better if he had died."

The next thing shocked Harry and Teddy. Narcissa slapped her husband, leaving him stunned. "I have already lost my son," she whispered gravely. "I will not lose my grandson. God knows what I have had to deal with for all these years. But do not ask me to choose between you and Scorpius. There is no choice."

With that, she side stepped her husband, and Teddy retreated out of her way as she yanked the door opened and went into her grandson's room. Lucius said nothing as he stalked off. Harry and Teddy looked at each other wide eyed. Scorpius stared at his grandmother completely awestruck at her because he had heard everything.

Narcissa placed her hand on top of his. She leaned in and kissed his cheek. "It's all right. I'm here now, Scorpius," she whispered.

Scorpius, who had tried not to cry in front of anyone, didn't notice the tears were flowing. Harry closed the door to give them some privacy. The news had already leaked to the wizarding press and they were having a field day with this. The delay that they had was gone.

"Teddy, stay here," ordered Harry. "Then, ask Mrs. Malfoy if he tells her anything. I need to go back to headquarters." Teddy nodded and Harry left.

As soon as Harry was out the door, to get to the apparating area, the reporters who had entrenched themselves outside began to swarm around him. "Auror Potter, is it true that Draco and Astoria Malfoy are dead?"

"No comment."

Harry rushed to pass them as he had to push his way to the apparating area. He had managed to ignore most of the questions, but one stood out, "Is Scorpius Malfoy alive?"

"No comment," repeated Harry with that he apparated away.

He apparated to the Ministry and quickly went to the Auror Department. A group of them were already gathered, waiting for him. "As you all know by now, Draco and Astoria are dead. What you do not know is that they were indeed murdered," he announced. "Ron, has the material from the Muggles arrived yet?"

Ron Weasley was Harry's second-in-command. He was the first one outside of Teddy to be informed of the situation, but they were stunned by the actual announcement. Harry continued, "We have a third victim who survived and is the only witness to the attack is Scorpius Malfoy who was in critical condition up until a few days ago."

"Malfoy's really dead?" asked Ron still in disbelief.

Harry opened the box that the Muggles had sent over and looked at the case file. Harry looked through the records. He was searching for the transcripts. "I wasn't able to get Scorpius to talk. He's closed himself off."

Ron picked up the crime scene photos. He looked a bit sick at the sight of so much blood. "Harry, this was bad."

Harry hadn't seen the photos, so he stopped to look at them. "This was done with a lot of malice. Someone who not only wanted them dead, but for them to suffer," he observed. His fingers lingered over them. Astoria had died with her eyes wide open, staring upwards towards the sky. It was a gruesome sight for anyone to see. Draco was lying in the sand in a pool of blood that was a mixture of his and his sons. His eyes were closed as if he was asleep.

Ron found the transcript first and skimmed the top of it. "Looks like the Muggles got something out of Draco's son. He said that he was the first one hit."

"What else?" asked another Auror.

"He blacked out after that," said Ron as he handed it to Harry.

"He's lying," said Harry. "He doesn't want to tell anyone what happened."

"He's twelve," said Ron. "Oh bloody Hell, Christmas was also his birthday."

"Must have been the reason why they were in Cornwall," said Harry.

"The kids are back in school now," said Ron. "Malfoy's son is in the same year as Rose and Al. He's in Slytherin."

"They don't talk about him, so he must be a non-issue to them," pointed out Harry as he recalled what the other children had to say about him. Scorpius either stayed out of trouble or went out of the way to go unnoticed. "We need to find out more about the Malfoys. Who would hate them so much that they'd kill them like this?"

***

Scorpius' grandmother stayed with him the whole time, only slipping away to use the loo. Teddy kept watch and at one point came back with some food for her to eat. "Here's some food, Mrs. Malfoy. You have to keep up your strength. I hope you like it. It's not from the canteen. I went out and got it."

"You're Andromeda's grandson, aren't you?" she asked him.

"Yes, Mrs. Malfoy," confirmed Teddy.

"It is a bit of a relief that someone in the family was with him," she said quietly.

"Whatever I can do to help," offered Teddy. "Do you need me to do anything else, Mrs. Malfoy?"

Narcissa nodded. "He'll need a change of clothes. Also, please get his birthday presents at the Manor. Ask our house elf, let her know I sent you. I'll give the address to Draco's house and the password to break down the spells." She paused as she looked at her grandson. One of the nurses had given him a dreamless draught. "He's regularly with us and his parents at the Manor. He was so excited to see the Eden Project. Lucius wasn't too pleased and told Draco he was doing something wrong." She swallowed a sob.

"Harry Potter will find out who did this, Mrs. Malfoy," promised Teddy.

"Call me Narcissa."

"That would be rude, Mrs. Malfoy."

"Call me Aunt Narcissa, then," she insisted as she glanced at him. She gave him a weak smile. "Thank you, Teddy."

She gave him the extra key to the house of her son and his family as well as the address and the spells that were up. That was going to be his first stop before Malfoy Manor. It was called Manderley.

Teddy saw that it was more of a large house than a manor. He let himself in after disarming the spells. It was less traditional than he had expected. The house was eerily quiet as he went in search of Scorpius' room. The living room had a grand piano in it along and there was no formal dining room just a table in a kook in the kitchen that was open to the living room area.

He found it. It was a good size. Scorpius had a collection of wizard cards from the chocolate frogs and books were on shelves in a haphazard manner. There was a stand with sheets of music on it. Scorpius' desk was a cluttered mess and there was a cork board that hung on the wall. Teddy read the notes on it, one was from Draco Malfoy. Teddy read it out loud, "Get your things off the floor or I'm throwing it all out before we leave for Cornwall. Love, Dad." Teddy chuckled a bit. There were ticket stubs to various things, including movie ones. The latest one was for a production of _Peter and the Wolf._

Teddy almost ran into the trunk at the edge of the bed. Oddly, Scorpius presumably had stacked his school text books with care on them. There was a violin case on the bed. Carefully, he stacked the books on the bed and took the clothes that were clean inside. It wasn't too surprising that there were clean clothes inside.

The Malfoys were scheduled to return from the trip from Cornwall on Boxing Day. Then, they were set to go to Malfoy Manor and stay there until the New Year. Scorpius would have gone back to Hogwarts for classes very shortly after that so to save time and hassle, so he would have packed his clothes ahead of time.

Teddy now remembered where he had heard Astoria's name before. She was an accomplished musician who had studied at the Wizarding Academy of Dramatic Arts. Without thinking, he grabbed the violin as well, and having no desire to go through the rest of the house, he left it.

* * *

Author's Note: I am trying to keep the chapters as short as possible because it's just easier to read on the computer. Astoria is a completely unknown character as is Scorpius, so it makes it easier to write about them since there is little information about them. I will attempt to stick to the canon as much as possible with a few liberties here and there. I have corrected the mistakes on the last chapter and had gone through this one prior to posting. Thanks for all the reviews again.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	4. Part 4: Black Manor

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Four: Black Manor

By the funeral of Draco and Astoria Malfoy, the news had sufficiently spread, but the Aurors did a good job spinning it. The general public was told it was an accident. Scorpius was allowed to go home to attend the funeral, but he didn't go back to his parents' house. Instead, he and his grandmother ended up going to her family's house. She was the only surviving daughter of that branch of the Black family, who hadn't been disinherited, so it was her house. Scorpius was the only child who was attending the funeral and many of the people who attended knew the Malfoys. Narcissa invited her sister and Teddy. Little did she know that Teddy had every intention of attending the funeral anyway just to observe the attendees.

Scorpius hardly acknowledged anyone. His grandfather made no demonstration of affection. Neither did Lucius and Narcissa speak to each other. Narcissa, ever the consummate hostess, managed to attend to the guests. She was grateful for her older sister's presence.

"Andi, it's great to see you," whispered Narcissa as the two women embraced.

"You don't have to put up a front with me, Cissy," said Andromeda Tonks as she pulled away from her sister to have a better look at her. "How is your grandson? I heard he just got out of St. Mungo's." The two sisters clasp each other hands they began to talk.

Teddy left them alone when he spotted Scorpius sitting alone on a sofa. He made his way over to him. "Wotcher Scorpius," he said.

Scorpius blinked and looked up at him, "Nothing."

Teddy kindly smiled. "Mind if I sit with you?"

Scorpius shook his head and Teddy took a seat. "I'm not here as an Auror today. I'm here as your cousin. Does your wound hurt?" Scorpius nodded. "I'm sure that it will get better. You know my parents died when I was too young to remember," Teddy went on, "but you've got a fantastic gran. More like two if you count mine. And me. I'll be around whenever you need me."

"Why are those people here?" demanded Scorpius without warning as some of Lucius Malfoy's associates came in. Teddy recognized them as former Death Eaters who were cleared like the Malfoys. "My dad hates—hated—them. They shouldn't be here," he said furiously.

Teddy asked, "You know who they are?"

"Death Eaters," spat Scorpius. Then he soften as he added, "My dad was one before. I saw the mark on his wrist. He told me never let anyone talk me into doing something I know is wrong, even if he was the one saying it."

Teddy nodded, "Good advice." His grandmother and her sister came up to them.

"Scorpius, there's someone I'd like you to meet," said Narcissa. "This is my sister, Andromeda. Andromeda, my grandson, Scorpius. I've already met your grandson, Teddy."

Scorpius stood up and offered his hand. "Nice to meet you," he said.

Andromeda took his hand. "You may call me Aunt Andi," she said.

"We have to go. The service is starting," said Narcissa.

Another woman came up to them. She was the same height as Scorpius' mother. Her hair was dark brown and her eyes were blue. She embraced Scorpius. Her eyes were red. "Scorpius, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," she whispered.

"Aunt Daphne," managed Scorpius, looking at her. She was two years older than her sister. Scorpius couldn't bear to look her in the eye. Those were his mother's eyes.

"If there's anything you want, you just let me or your Uncle Greg know, all right?" she told him. "Di and Annie aren't here. I hope that's okay." His aunt was married to one of his father's old friends from their Hogwarts days. Scorpius saw his uncle leaning against the wall. His deep set eyes were focused on the coffins at the very front of the room. He looked positively haggard.

"I wouldn't be here either if I had a choice," said Scorpius softly as he looked away from her.

The services went faster than Scorpius was aware of. The attendees were divided on two sides. Lucius sat with his own group while Narcissa sat with her family. Scorpius sat between Teddy and his grandmother. Andromeda sat beside Narcissa.

Teddy made mental notes, but he was distracted by Scorpius. They had a lot in common. They both lost their parents and their grandmothers would be the ones to care for them. They all stood up to walk to the coffins. Scorpius laid lilies on his mother's chest. His fingers grazed hers. Next, he reached in and touched his father's cheek. He pulled his hand back as his grandmother placed her hands on his shoulders.

Even Lucius couldn't hide the pained expression as he gazed at his son, but it swiftly vanished. Narcissa and he faced each other between the coffins. She kept her left hand protectively over Scorpius' shoulder, while her right hand had her wand in it. Lucius' eyes fleetingly settled on Scorpius who dared to look him straight in the eye. Teddy could see that Narcissa was ready to draw her wand.

There were other attendees who had arrived that Teddy had failed to notice because he was so distracted. Harry and Ron were at the back. "Step away from my son," whispered Narcissa. "Please do not make a scene here, Lucius. Not in a room full of witnesses." She pulled Scorpius to the side. Teddy clamped his hand over the boy's shoulder.

"I can't believe you invited your Mudblood relatives to my son's funeral."

"Yes, they're my relatives," snapped Narcissa. "Leave now. You're not invited to the burial. You have no say here. You've done enough. This isn't Malfoy Manor. This is the Black House. My house. Get out of my house and take those people with you."

"It's just as well," drawled Lucius bitterly. "I should have known it would have turned out like this, Narcissa. You could only give me one child."

That stung Narcissa. She had wanted more than one child. Scorpius' eyes narrowed into slits as he seethed, "Leave her alone."

"You do not talk to me like that, boy," warned Lucius. "Your father failed in teaching you to respect your elders."

"My dad was great!" declared Scorpius, which drew everyone's attention. "And if he was a bad father, it's because of you!"

Lucius was just about ready to lunge at Scorpius, but Teddy pulled his cousin out of harm's way. Narcissa drew her wand faster than anyone. "If you harm one hair on his head, I swear I will kill you. Now get out."

Harry and Ron had come to them. Lucius regained his composure. He wasn't foolish enough to attack his wife and grandson with so many witnesses in the room, including three Aurors present. "Just so you know, Scorpius, I will never allow a tainted child like you to inherit my estate." With that said, he trudged off.

Narcissa breathed a sigh of relief as Scorpius took her hand. "Hello Mrs. Malfoy," said Harry. "This is Ron Weasley."

Ron nodded. Narcissa said, "I know who you are as well. Scorpius, these gentlemen attended Hogwarts with your father."

"I know who Mr. Potter is, Grandmother. Everyone does," said Scorpius as he extended his hand to Ron who shook it. "You're Rose Weasley's dad, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am. Do you know her?" asked Ron.

"Not really," replied Scorpius. "I have a few classes with her and her cousin."

Harry smiled a bit. "You mean my son, Albus, don't you?"

"Yes, Mr. Potter," nodded Scorpius.

"Come along, we have to go to the cemetery," said Narcissa. She said to Harry and Ron, "You two may join us if you wish. Unless my grandson objects."

Scorpius shook his head. "It's fine."

They went to a carriage that was waiting for them. His aunt and uncle didn't stay for the burial because it was just too hard for Daphne and her husband was looking for any excuse to leave. It didn't surprise anyone that they would leave so quickly and Scorpius didn't even notice. Something else caught his attention.

Scorpius' eyes widened as he saw the beasts that were pulling it. They looked like the horses that the Horsemen of the Apocalypse would ride. They were huge beasts with leathery wings and fangs with manes that hung like black curtains. "What are those?" he asked.

"They're Thestrals, dear," replied Narcissa.

"Were they there before?" asked Scorpius.

Teddy was the only one who couldn't see them. He had never seen anyone die directly. "They won't hurt you," Harry assured him. "I know that they're scary to look at, but they won't hurt you."

"How can I see them now?" asked Scorpius. "Is it because I died and came back?"

"That's part of it," replied Harry.

Scorpius looked Harry in the eye. "It's because I saw them—my father—die, right?"

Harry sighed, "Yes."

Scorpius didn't say another word as he climbed into the carriage. His grandmother followed. He leaned into her, feeling the warmth from her. Andromeda sat beside her while Harry, Ron, and Teddy sat on the other side. Scorpius looked out the window as the snow began to fall. He brushed away a tear.

Harry and Ron attempted to leave after the burial, but they couldn't turn down Narcissa's invitation for tea. They felt like they were imposing on what should have been a private, family moment. The two men found themselves unable to say no to a grieving mother.

Scorpius took no tea or food as he sat down in front of them. His grandmother handed him a vial and a glass of water. "Healer Thomas' orders. Take it now," she gently ordered him. Scorpius a single gulped and drank the water. He got up to toss the vial, but his grandmother took it from him. She signaled him to sit back down.

"She wants me to answer your questions, Mr. Potter," said Scorpius.

"We had a chance to go over the evidence that the Cornwall Police had collected. I've reviewed the transcripts of your interview with DCI Larson. Can you remember anything else?"

"It happened so fast," said Scorpius softly. He looked down at his hands.

"You said at St. Mungo's that you felt your father's body go cold," pressed Harry. "It wasn't in the witness statement you gave."

"That was after it was over," whispered Scorpius. "It took almost an hour before that couple who was walking their dog found us. Mildred and Ralph Parker with their dog, Max, found us."

"You must have been in a lot of pain," said Ron.

"Yes, I was, Mr. Weasley."

Narcissa said, "Scorpius, you need to help these men find the person who killed your parents. Don't you want to see justice done?"

"It won't bring them back, will it?" asked Scorpius. "I want to go back to school where it's safe." Harry could sympathize with that sentiment. Scorpius didn't look up at anyone, keeping his eyes trained on his hands. "I don't want everyone knowing what happened. I don't want to answer anymore questions that I don't have answers for." He felt a twinge and he clutched his side. "I-it hurts."

"Scorpius," called his grandmother just before he collapsed. "Scorpius!"

Harry and Ron sprung to their feet as Narcissa got to him. "I'll call, Dean," said Ron as he went back to the fireplace.

Andromeda and Teddy returned. Andromeda was just finishing up showing him around the house. "What's going on?" asked Teddy.

Narcissa shook her head. "I don't know. I just gave him the potion that the healer had prescribed."

Harry was the one who had reached Scorpius. He lifted up Scorpius' shirt. His middle was still bandage. "He's not bleeding," he said with some relief.

Dean Thomas had come through the fireplace with his kit in hand. "Harry, keep him steady," he said. Dean took Scorpius' vitals as Narcissa watched. "The spell that was used was a nasty one. It's not going to go away. The scar will be permanent. The Muggles tried to stitch it up, but the wound came from inside his body."

"Dark magic," said Harry grimly. He studied Scorpius' features. His face was softer than Draco's, which made him look more vulnerable. His hair was still light blond, but it looked like it would darken as he got older. Scorpius' eyes were gray, but there was a bluish tint to them that Harry saw when Dean was checking them.

Scorpius moaned a bit as he opened his eyes. "Healer Thomas? Am I in the hospital again?"

"No, no, you're not, Scorpius," answered Dean with a smile of relief. Harry grabbed cushions to prop up Scorpius' head. "You just had a bit of a spell that's all."

"Do I have to go back to the hospital?" asked Scorpius in a small voice, but he was unable to hide his frustration. "I want to go back to school. I've already missed a few days. I did all my homework before we went to Cornwall. Mum even looked it over, and now it's late."

"I'm sure I can convince the Headmistress to allow you to turn it in late," Harry assured him. "It's more important that you rest and heal."

"I can bring your trunk for school over," offered Teddy. "I brought your violin and there's a piano in one of the rooms, too."

"Mum would be mad if she knew I haven't been practicing," said Scorpius. He didn't know why he thought of that. Then he straightened up before saying, "I don't want to go back to school with everyone knowing that they were killed. People would just feel sorry for me."

Harry said, "You're going to have a lot of people asking you what happened. Most are going to just be curious. Some will even be cruel about it."

"I wish I could remember more, but I never saw the person who did it," said Scorpius. "My dad was on me. He was shouting. He was begging." Narcissa sank beside him. She took his hand. "He wasn't begging for himself. He was begging for me."

"You're father died a hero," said Harry.

"I guess staying here a bit longer is better," sighed Scorpius. "Who knows what the other kids will say. The Slytherins will be the worst."

"Aren't you in Slytherin?" pointed out Ron.

Scorpius replied, "Yes, I am, Mr. Weasley. That's how I know they'll be the worst."

* * *

Author's Note: This chapter ran a bit longer, but that's fine. I did go back and added some more parts to it. Some subtle stuff that will play a part in the story later. I did like the idea of bring in Andromeda Tonks and Teddy Lupin. They family after all. Also, the title took ages to come up with, but there's a reason why it hasn't been explained yet. Part of the mystery and there's just a lot of layers in this story. Please bear with me. I'll make it worth your while.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	5. Part 5: The Greenhouse

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Five: The Greenhouse

Scorpius returned to Hogwarts two weeks later. His first stop was a visit with Headmistress McGonagall and the head of Slytherin, Professor Ichabod Tate. While Scorpius was out, he had his homework owled in and had written assignments along with reading ones to keep up.

Like many students, Scorpius wasn't fond of Professor Tate. He was exacting, intolerant, and cold hearted. Professor Tate seemed to particularly loathed Scorpius. He taught Potions, which suited his meticulous nature. Almost no one wanted to take the class as a result. "Accommodations have been made on your behalf, Mr. Malfoy," Professor Tate bitterly informed Scorpius.

"Thank you, Sir," said Scorpius.

Headmistress McGonagall said, "The faculty is aware of the situation. The rest of the staff and student body know that your parents died during the holiday break."

"Will things be the way they were before, Headmistress? Will I be treated any differently by the teachers?"

"If you think that I'll go easy on you, you are mistaken," answered Profossor Tate for the Headmistress.

"Professor Tate, please wait outside," ordered the headmistress, who was rather exasperated that the professor was answering questions meant for her.

"Gladly," muttered Professor Tate.

As soon he shut the door, the headmistress said to Scorpius, "Things will never been as they were, Mr. Malfoy. We will try to maintain a sense of normalcy for you."

"I know things are different now," said Scorpius. "But if people start treating me differently because my parents are gone, then it's just reminding me that they're not alive. Being special because your parents are dead isn't special at all."

Not even the staff at Hogwarts knew the extent of the trauma to Scorpius' body. The Aurors kept the blood transfusion and the fact that he was clinical dead a secret. Scorpius' wound had stopped hurting, but as predicted the scar was permanent. The scar was an ugly memento. Even without seeing or knowing about it, Professor McGonagall couldn't help it but draw some comparison of him to one of her former students. "Scorpius, you are the one who will decide your own fate. My door is always open to you should you need anything."

"Thank you, Headmistress. May I please go to the class now?"

"Of course, you may, Mr. Malfoy."

Scorpius went to his class. He had already missed the morning classes. The first class he would be returning to was one of his favorites, Herbology. Although, Scorpius would never openly admit it, he did like Professor Longbottom. He watched from the glass of the greenhouse first before going inside.

It was a good thing he waited because they were transferring Mandrakes to larger pots. Professor Longbottom spotted him and gave him a smile before going outside. He took off his ear muffs just before approaching Scorpius. "Good to see you, Scorpius," said Professor Longbottom. "Are you ready?"

Scorpius nodded and was handed a pair of ear muffs. They put the muffs on before going inside. Everyone was too distracted to notice Scorpius. "They just got started!" shouted Professor Longbottom to be heard. "You can just join Al and Rose."

Scorpius walked up to the cousins who didn't notice him. They were having a hard time getting the Mandrake into the pot. The pot was large enough, but the Mandrake was stubborn. "ANGLE IT A BIT MORE!" shouted Rose. People were shouting even though it was pointless with the muffs on. She was over enunciating everything so that Albus could effectively read her lips.

"I'm trying!" shot back Al.

"Um," started Scorpius as he tapped Rose's shoulder. She was so startled that she almost dropped her side of the Mandrake. "Sorry! I was going to say that I'll hold the pot so you and Potter can get it in!" He gestured and signaled to make his point, but they understood.

Both the cousins stared at him. "Okay!" agreed Rose after as second. "We'll do it on three!"

Scorpius dropped down to the pot and placed his hands on the sides. Rose and Al nodded to each other. "One. Two. Three!"

Rose and Al were able to get the Mandrake in. The cousins glanced at each other. By then some of the other students took notice of Scorpius. He started to feel self-conscience.

"Keep going everyone!" shouted Professor Longbottom. "Class isn't over yet!"

The Slytherins were eyeing Scorpius as the Gryffindors went back to work, fearing that their head of house would take points off for not listening. It was going to be the first of many long days for Scorpius. He got to his feet. "Let's do the next one," he said without shouting it. Rose and Al nodded with that they continued. They rotated positions until class was over.

At the end of class, Professor Longbottom signaled everyone to remove their ear muffs. "I have some assignments to return today," he announced.

He passed them out. "Try to do better next time, Scorpius," Professor Longbottom told him as he handed him his assignment.

"Yes, Professor."

Rose stared at Professor Longbottom as she glanced at Scorpius. "But he was out, Professor Longbottom. He missed the lectures," she pointed out. "His parents just—"

Scorpius severely cut her off, "I'll try harder, Professor Longbottom."

Rose was perplexed as their professor moved on. One look from Scorpius, a glare that he had mastered from his father, silenced her. He gathered his things and went to his next class. People were starting to murmur, whisper, and talk about him. Scorpius was aware that they were staring and pointing at him. Ignoring all of it, he went to his next class. His face was expressionless.

***

Scorpius didn't return to his dormitory until the end of the day before dinner. He noticed how horribly chilly it was. The Slytherin dorms were normally cold because they were under the lake in the coldest part of the castle. Scorpius knew it wasn't just him as he saw his other housemates putting on extra layers.

"Why is it so cold here?" he asked out loud.

"Tate had the heating spells turned off," answered one of the others.

Scorpius went to go get another layer of clothing on. It wasn't right. The others saw him, but they didn't bother asking him any questions. Obviously, they were more concerned of the threat of hypothermia than they were about his dead parents.

Camilla Flint moaned, "It's bad enough that Tate is teaching Potions. Now he does this."

"All we have to do is get the house points up," put in Timothy Nott. "We just have to get the points up."

"If we don't freeze to death first, he put some kind of block."

"Why doesn't anyone just tell McGonagall about Tate freezing us to death?" asked Scorpius out loud.

The whole group of them turned to look at him. "Are you daft?!" exclaimed someone else.

Flint rounded on Scorpius as she stood up and said to him, "We are Slytherin. We don't tell anyone outside of these dorms what is going on. We handle everything in house. It's a sign of weakness if we have to go to McGonagall for help. Tate's a bastard."

"I see," shrugged Scorpius. Flint was two years older than him, but she did make a good point about not showing any weakness. It was partly the reason why he didn't want people to know what had happened to him.

Scorpius didn't know what to make of it. He stood up instead and left the common room. He closed the curtains to his bed and welcomed the darkness. He placed his hand on his stomach. It was really cold in the room even with the curtains drawn. He could hear people talking from behind the curtains.

"Malfoy looks okay," said one voice. "But he's always been like that."

"If you ask me, his parents, especially his dad had it coming," said another voice. "The Malfoys deserve whatever happens to them. They got away with murder before. They say it's an accident. It's karma."

Scorpius pulled the pillow over his ears at this point. His father had warned him. When the letter came from Hogwarts on his eleventh birthday, his parents had second thoughts. His mother had suggested that it would perhaps be better if Scorpius had attended another school, even Drumstrang or Beauxbatons would have been a better alternative to Hogwarts. Scorpius was the one who wanted to attend the school because they had attended the school.

Before going to Platform 9 ¾, Scorpius' father told him it would be fine if he didn't end up in Slytherin, but Scorpius wanted to join the same house that his parents had been in. He had no idea it was going to be like this. Most of other Slytherin hated him for being a Malfoy along with the rest of the school. Most of the other students gave Scorpius wide berth, not knowing what to make of him.

Some of the blame did fall on Scorpius because he had made little effort to make himself appear approachable. He came off as arrogant and superior. On the contrary, Scorpius was shy and introverted. Hardly anyone knew that.

He stayed with his head under the pillow for a while before he got up to go to dinner. People in the Great Hall had stopped to look at him as he went to the table. He took a seat and barely ate anything as he felt people staring at him. After less than ten minutes, Scorpius had had enough and got up to go back to his dorm. He had to go anywhere at this point to avoid people staring at him or whispering about him.

Dominique Weasley said, "Looks like Malfoy's back."

"Yes, we know," said James Sirius Potter, the eldest son of Harry and Ginny Potter. "Al and Rose just had Herbology with him. He just jumped in and started class."

Fred Weasley said, who was also in the same class as Rose and Albus, "He seems okay. I mean it's hard to say seeing as he doesn't really talk to anyone. He doesn't even hang out with any of the Slytherins."

"I don't think anyone really likes him because he's a Malfoy," said Rose. "The kids in Slytherin some of their families are rotting in prison, but the Malfoys got off. And everyone else thinks that the Malfoys got away with murder."

"I wonder how his parents died," said Louis Weasley quietly. "I mean they didn't say what happened."

"Doubtful that Malfoy's going to say anything," pointed out Fred.

Albus said, "Probably not. People are going to talk either way."

The others shrugged and the conversation quickly melted away to Quidditch. The other students were starting to talk about other things other than Scorpius Malfoy and his parents. Not that Scorpius knew any of this as he returned to the dorm. It was practically empty with everyone at dinner. It was even colder now that the sun had set and whatever heat was on the lake from the sun was gone.

He settled into a table and started his homework. Pretty soon, he noticed that he could see his breath in the air. People were returning from dinner as the night went on and Scorpius finished his homework, retreating to his bed.

"Let's just burn the furniture," someone suggested. "It's freakin' cold in here."

"That was my sweater! You stole it!" shouted one of the girls. "Give it back!"

All sorts of fights were breaking out in the dorms as people turned to each other because of the cold. People were starting to swipe blankets as well. None of the heating spells that the seventh and sixth years cast were working. People left to go outside because it was warmer than inside the dorms. Yet no one wanted to go and report Tate for it.

Scorpius sighed. Tomorrow was going to be another day. Hopefully, he'd die of hypothermia during the night.

* * *

Author's Note: The other kids will show up more as the story goes on. One liberty taken is that the houses are now combined in all classes for simplicity's sake. I know that in the movies it just made it easier to have everyone share classes rather than separating them for some for some of the classes. It is a way of encouraging interaction between houses and it just makes the plot easier for me.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	6. Part 6: Potions Class

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Six: Potions Class

The Slytherins were known for being cunning and intelligent. Scorpius exhibited the latter, but not the former too much. However, over the next few days since his return to the school, the rest of the Slytherins were nastier than normal due to their cold dorms and took it out on the general student population.

The strategy was simple. All they had to do was raise the house points by answering questions in class and trying to get the other houses in trouble and having their points taken away. Scorpius could care less about any of this. He didn't care if Slytherin won or lost the house cup. He was just trying to get through the days.

His grandmother had sent owls with letters and sweets. Scorpius was grateful to hear from her and wrote her back, even though he didn't really like sweets. He practiced his violin outside most afternoons just to get away from everyone after he was done with his assignments. Everything was done pretty much on autopilot.

The faculty didn't know quite how to handle Scorpius' situation even though they were told to treat him as a regular student. The only professor who treated Scorpius the same was Professor Tate, which was absolutely hatred.

"Mr. Malfoy, you are doing this potion wrong," said Professor Tate in his usual unyielding fashion.

Scorpius looked at his Swelling Potion. The color looked right. "I don't know what I've done wrong, Sir," he said.

"You don't know?" questioned Professor Tate. "Start again."

Scorpius blinked at him. He just decided it was easier for him to start over than disagree with Professor Tate. "Slice the puffer-fish eyes thinner. I'm talking exactly two millimeters."

"How can you tell?" asked Scorpius. There wasn't a ruler in the room to figure that out.

"I can tell when things are exactly as they are, Mr. Malfoy. Now you have twenty minutes to complete it or you fail this assignment," replied Professor Tate before pivoting on his heel to go and pick on another student.

Scorpius shook his head. It was bad enough that Tate was freezing him every night. He was now even worse because Scorpius didn't have anyone to run to about this. He decided that something had to be done. He was going to have to do something about Ichabod Tate.

A scheme of a different kind began to form in his mind. It involved him observing Tate as much as possible. Professor Tate was a well-groomed man who took care of his appearance. He had his mustache perfectly trimmed and his robes were pressed everyday. He had a pocket watch that he frequently glanced at. If a student showed up more than a second late, he knocked points off. He'd double the points off if it was any student not in Slytherin.

Not that Scorpius had a problem with how he treated the other students from other houses or the students from his own house for that matter. The man just hated him for no real reason. Scorpius' father always told him that the best way to beat an opponent was to determine their weakness and use it against them. Scorpius had to determine what Tate's weakness was.

After a few days of observation, Scorpius hadn't figured out what the Potions Master's weakness was, but he wasn't discouraged. If anything, the coldness of the Slytherin dorms kept Scorpius motivated. He observed the same thing came up again and again. Professor Tate was obviously anal retentive.

On that day, Scorpius thought he had finished the Hair-Raising Potion, but Professor Tate had other ideas.

"Mr. Malfoy, this potion is also completely wrong. You are a disappointment to the house of Slytherin," Professor Tate informed him in his sardonic manner.

Scorpius gritted his teeth at this. He glared at the professor at this point, feeling his scar throb. It seemed to throb when his emotions were high. "You haven't even tested it, Sir. How can you know it's wrong?" he asked, using all of the self-control he had to stop from screaming.

"You put the ingredients out of order from the handout," said Professor Tate. "Honestly, why do I put together handouts if you lot are going to ignore them and throw in anything you want?"

Scorpius answered, "The book, the one that you assigned, had a different order than your handout. It also said that it didn't matter how the ingredients went in after the rat tails." He picked up the book and opened it to where he had it marked. "See?"

"I am aware of that," said Professor Tate. "But that's why I did the handout."

"The result is the same," insisted Scorpius. Not that Scorpius paid attention that well to the other students, but he was sure that some of them had done it the way he had done it. Yet none of them were being picked on for it. "This is unbelievable. I did it right. There's nothing wrong. You're just mad because I didn't follow your handout."

"You will not speak to me like that," said Professor Tate coldly. "You are a rude and insolent child, Mr. Malfoy. Just like your father."

"My father wouldn't have tolerated you for this long, Professor," retorted Scorpius.

Professor Tate narrowed his eyes. His mustache twitched as he said, "Your father can't throw his weight around anymore. You are on your own."

Scorpius looked down at his feet at that moment. His scar was throbbing like mad and his eyes were stinging. He could see out of the corner of his eye that Albus Potter and Rose Weasley were silently communicating with each other as the rest of the Slytherin were a bit astounded that Scorpius was standing up to their head of house. "And just for your insolence you have just cost Slytherin fifteen points."

A noise between a gasp and a moan was audible from the Slytherins. Scorpius knew that he had cost the house points for getting the heat turned back on in the dorms. Not that Scorpius cared about the points. His hands rounded into fists as he said numbly, "I'll start over again, Sir."

"I think not. You will write an essay about what you did wrong. A five hundred word essay," said Professor Tate.

Scorpius nodded as the professor moved on to his next victim. Yes, Scorpius would have to do something about that man. He had to figure out something otherwise he was going to have repeat all of his potions and write unnecessary essays. He decided it was best to clean up. He watched the professor go back to his desk at the front of the classroom.

Professor Tate set out his tools in a precise order. He even adjusted the space in between as if mentally measuring them. Order was his drug. Scorpius started to think about it. A man like Tate liked order. Scorpius remembered something else his father had told him, "Remember, Scorpius, some times a person's strength can be a weakness."

Scorpius smiled as an idea started to form. He was going to have to do a little research first. He was going to get rid of Professor Tate. It was time for some psychological warfare.

***

Over the next few weeks, Scorpius spent a lot of time in the library doing some research. He read book after book and dove further ahead in his Charms textbook. He only stood Professor Tate because he had every intention of making sure that Tate wouldn't be there much longer. Scorpius had a lot of preparation to do.

Scorpius spent a lot of time by himself. Most of the students avoided him because of the atmosphere that seemed to follow him, which suited him just fine. He was studying more advanced magic to set his plan in action. He had patience after all. The distraction of planning Professor Tate's departure was good for him. Otherwise he would have been thinking about his parents, which only upset him more.

The spells he found were fascinating and he was practicing when he could. One spell he had mastered in record time wasn't in the usual curriculum. No one would have expected a second year to learn this particular spell and some people would have considered it useless to learn.

That wasn't all Scorpius had planned. He had brewed a Balding Potion from instructions from a third year text book that he read in the library. He was able to test it out and it worked. Scorpius ruefully thought that it was ironic that Tate's teaching style would be used against him.

Furthermore, Scorpius had figured out how to find the faculty quarters. Only a few teachers stayed at the school regularly. The heads of house were required to stay on the grounds in case anyone of the students needed them. Scorpius had yet to figure out where Professor Tate's quarters were specifically. He would find out eventually.

Scorpius didn't know what the other people were saying about him. At this point, most of them had lost interest in him because he wasn't talking at all. One day while in Defense Against the Dark Arts, during a lecture from Professor Tobias Larkin, Scorpius was distracted by his plans regarding Professor Tate.

As a general rule, Scorpius never spoke in class unless spoken to. He would have given Rose real competition if he had just simply participated in class along with giving his house a lot of points. He refused to aid his own house and allowed Rose the glory of being the class know-it-all.

"Anyone know the answer to this question?" asked Professor Larkin. Scorpius had to re-focus as he read the question on the board. He had ignored it when he had come in. Professor Larkin liked to write questions on the board at the start of every class for the students to answer before starting the lecture. The questions were related to the topic of the day most of the time, but not always. What spell would you use to change a werewolf back to a person?" he asked.

Scorpius wrote the answer down on his parchment. "Homorphous Charm."

Rose who was sitting in the row behind him could see that he had written down the answer. "How about it, Rose?" asked Professor Larkin, calling on her because she had the answer most of the time. None of the other students had volunteered.

Rose shook her head. "No, I don't know, Professor," she admitted. "I thought we were covering kappas today."

Everyone thought the same thing because that was their reading assignment. It wasn't unusual for Professor Larkin to not follow his own lesson plans. He liked to mix things up in order to keep the students on their toes. "It's the Homorphous Charm," he said.

"That's for the third year, Professor Larkin," said Albus. "Werewolves are covered next year."

"Remember you all must think ahead. You need to learn that not everything is just as planned on a piece of paper given to you at the start of the year. All right, let's learn about kappas now," said Professor Larkin.

Rose looked at what Scorpius had written. It was the correct answer. Scorpius didn't notice that she was looking at him strangely, but she soon forgot as Larkin started his lecture. It was just another lecture to Scorpius and when class was over, he went back to the library.

What he needed was a map of the school. He had to find a copy of _Hogwarts: A History_. Perhaps, the book had the information that he was seeking. He needed to find out where Professor Tate slept. He wasn't planning on attacking the professor while he slept, but Scorpius needed to find his room. There was only going to be one way to do it, but Scorpius wasn't sure he wanted to risk it.

He was going to change his mind after the next Potions Class. Tate was in a particularly foul mood and proceeded to take it out on the entire class. In the end, they did no potions work and had to write standards. Everyone had just had enough. Scorpius decided that he would have push up his plans.

Later on that night, Scorpius used his Invisibility Cloak that his father had bought a long time ago. Scorpius had found it and had packed it away into a hidden part of his trunk the year previous in case he needed it for something. Scorpius suspected that his father had known that he had taken it, even though he had made no indication of knowing.

He slipped on the cloak after skipping dinner and watched Professor Tate leave the room. He would have to follow him until Tate went to the professors' quarters. Scorpius watched as he used the password and followed him inside. Scorpius didn't know where the professor's quarters were. Unfortunately, he had stepped into a conversation that he probably shouldn't be eavesdropping on.

"Tate, the students are complaining about you to me," said Professor Longbottom who came up from behind Scorpius. "What is the point of making them do standards? It's not going to help them. They're going to hate potions rather than learn anything."

Professor Tate glared at Professor Longbottom. "How I teach is my business, Longbottom. All you do is claw around in the dirt. They don't have to think in your class," snapped Professor Tate.

Professor Longbottom didn't get mad. He was perfectly calm. He smiled instead. "One day someone is going to put you in your place, Tate. Fair warning. You do bad things, it will come back to haunt you."

"And the world is filled with lollipops and rainbows. Honestly, do you hear yourself when you speak, Longbottom?"

"I'm warning you. Also, I've overheard some of my students say you've been really nasty to Scorpius Malfoy. I know he's not in my house, but just the same, you could show some compassion. His parents are dead for goodness' sake."

"Of course, you pity him, Longbottom," laughed Tate. "Don't tell me that Malfoy didn't have it coming. He should have been dead ages ago. I'm probably not the only one who had champagne to celebrate the death of Draco Malfoy."

Scorpius drew a sharp breath at that. He shook at the words, gripping his wand tightly. His jaw locked up in anger. He willed himself to calm down. Tate was going to pay for what he just said. He couldn't ruin his plans now just by losing his temper.

Professor Longbottom's normally friendly demeanor changed to a glare. "You're taking out your anger against Draco Malfoy on his orphaned son. That's not a fair fight at all. You're just picking on a child. You don't deserve to be a teacher here," he told Tate in a furious tone. "You leave him alone."

"How I manage the members of my house is my business, Longbottom. You just manage your grubby Gryffindors, who by the way are only favored because McGonagall used to be head of that house."

"The Slytherins don't seem to be doing well. Most of them are short tempered and aren't concentrating very well. Whatever it is you're doing to them isn't working," said Professor Longbottom.

"Oh shut up, Longbottom!" snapped Professor Tate, growing tired of this whole conversation, he pivoted and stomped off to his quarters. Scorpius saw where he had gone and watched him go in. He looked at Professor Longbottom who was shaking his head, saying, "Well, I'll say this, Tate, I'll be having some firewhiskey when you get fired."

* * *

Author's Note: Neville Longbottom fast became one of my favorite characters in the series. I imagine him being a fair and popular professor. Now Scorpius' plan takes place in the next chapter. I hope I portrayed Tate as nasty enough.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	7. Part 7: Professor Tate’s Quarters

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Seven: Professor Tate's Quarters

Scorpius returned to his dorm without getting caught. He saw some of the Gryffindors in the corridor. He knew that they were headed up to the Gryffindor Tower. It was probably warmer up there than it was in the dungeons. He didn't bother to take off the cloak until he got to the doorway of his dorm.

He was still seething with anger as he said the password, "Pureblood." He shook his head at the password. Honestly, it was a stupid one that anyone could figure out. He went back to his room and put his cloak back. Scorpius sat on his bed, thinking about the conversation between professors. It made him think back to his sorting in the previous year.

_The Sorting Hat told him, "A very bright boy. You can be utterly fearless if you need to be. You would be suited for Gryffindor." _

"_No, I have to go to Slytherin," thought an eleven-year-old Scorpius frantically. "I need to be in the same house as the rest of my family."_

"_You have a gift for cunning and logic. Perhaps, a Ravenclaw, but you would do better as a Gryffindor."_

"_Please no. I'm a Malfoy."_

"_Very well—SLYTHERIN!"_

Sighing, Scorpius leaned back on his bed. If he had allowed the hat to put him in Gryffindor, he wondered if he would feel any differently than he did now. If there was one thing that he didn't like about the Gryffindors was that they seemed to be driven for glory and attention. Scorpius enjoyed being left alone and having no one pay attention to him even though he disliked his own house more and more. He looked around the dorm room.

All the beds, except for his, had the curtains ripped down to add extra warmth to their beds. Scorpius preferred the privacy. He used a silencing charm on the curtains because he didn't want them hearing him in case he had nightmares. He had a lot of nightmares. He also cried at night when it was bad enough. It was the pain from the scar that caused pain bad enough that he had to cry. He never once went to the infirmary to complain about it.

When the nightmares were too much, Scorpius got up and went to the common room to practice the spell that he had been perfecting for his scheme to get rid of Tate. He was sure to put the furniture back in place. He had spent many nights doing it.

He had to find a perfect time to set his plans into action. The perfect time was during the Quidditch game that Saturday. Scorpius decided he'd skip the game to set up everything. He had everything planned out as meticulous as his target would have.

***

On the day of the Quidditch game, the Slytherins were playing the Gryffindors. Both sides were fired up and it was hopeful that the heat could be turned back on if the Slytherins beat the Gryffindors. The Potters and Weasleys dominated the Gryffindor table. All of them were in the same house, even smart as a whip Rose Weasley who could have been in Ravenclaw.

Their table was noisy as the Slytherin snickered at them. They had their plans to win the game and secure the points. One Slytherin sat by himself, ignoring his own table at large. Scorpius Malfoy ate his breakfast, while reading a textbook.

He was largely ignored and his status as an orphan was now the first thing that people thought about when they heard of him. The school was under the impression that it was an accident in Cornwall. He was aloof, but he didn't seem to mind.

Scorpius paid no mind to anyone who might have been watching him. He finished his breakfast and left the Great Hall as everyone else started to troop to the Quidditch stands. He ran into Professor Longbottom on the way. "Mornin' Scorpius," he said. "Are you going to the Quidditch match?"

"Um, I don't feel very good," said Scorpius unable to meet the kind professor's eyes. "I think I'll just go back and lay down for a while."

"You don't have to push yourself, if you don't want to," said Professor Longbottom. "It's harder to keep up a front that everything is normal. You should talk to someone."

Scorpius could hear the concern in the Herbology professor's voice. He felt a bit guilty about lying to him. "Thank you, Professor. I just don't think I can go out there and be happy and cheering. I just can't," he whispered. It was the truth.

"I understand. More than you know," said Professor Longbottom sympathetically.

Looking up at him, Scorpius knew that he wasn't lying. The only thing that Scorpius could do was nod, which Professor Longbottom returned before going off to join his house for the game. Scorpius sighed. He had to re-focus and headed towards the Potions classroom.

He was carrying his bag, which no one had noticed earlier. He took out his wand and opened the classroom door. This plan was not one phase. It was a series of steps before it was done. Armed with a tape measure and a wand, Scorpius set about moving the teacher's station three inches in one direction. He also went into the stock room and switched labels on the potion bottles. He didn't do it with the more dangerous stock, but did it with ones that had counter potions for them.

The next stop was Tate's office. Scorpius did the same trick as the work station in the potions classroom. He moved the desk around without moving its contents. He did look through the desk, carefully leaving everything in place. He found a flask, smelled it, and emptied it out into a nearby plant. He proceeded searched further. He found four flasks, including one that was buried in the dirt of the plant; and all of them were filled with liquor and he emptied them into the same plant. He felt bad for the plant more than Professor Tate. Scorpius hoped the plant wouldn't die because of the alcohol.

Following that, he went to the professors' quarters narrowly avoiding Filch and his cat, Mrs. Norris. Scorpius made a mental note to bring the invisibility cloak next time. He spoke the password, Dumbledore, and entered the quarters. He went to Professor Tate's room and unlocked the door using magic.

Scorpius was going to have to get to work fast. He didn't want to linger too long. He cast a time released shrinking spell on all of Professor Tate's neatly shined, polished, and lined up shoes. He then went to the bathroom and looked at the various bottles in the cabinet.

Scorpius read the labels. He had some potions in his bag that he had brewed earlier. He had placed them safely in vials. One of the bottles was polish for Tate's hair and mustache. Scorpius poured some drops of the potion he brewed into them. The next thing he turned his attention to was the room itself. There was yet another stash of liquor, which Scorpius elected not to empty out. He looked at the proof on it, but left it alone.

He wished that he could have gotten his hands on Tate's precious watch, but that was on his person, so there was nothing Scorpius could do about that. He went to the desk that was all neat and orderly. Scorpius knew better than to tamper with it. Feeling some satisfaction at his handiwork, Scorpius decided that he had spent enough time in the room. Upon leaving, he noticed how Professor Tate had a fireplace. It had fresh ash in it.

The fireplace in the Slytherin dorms had no ashes in them due to the fact that they couldn't have any fires. Scorpius scowled at that. He went back to the desk. Not moving anything, he cast a locking spell on the drawers. After that, he made a swift exit.

***

The following Monday, Professor Ichabod Tate was in a very foul mood. His shoes were tight for some unknown reason and he was unable to get assignments that he had to return out of his desk. By the time, the Gryffindors and the Slytherin second years had class, he was already plenty mad.

Scorpius hid his amusement as he watched Professor Tate miss his desk or ran into it. He was used to things hitting his desk just right. When he set out his tools and parchments, Tate was unable to tell why he wasn't hitting the desk dead center when he threw the papers onto them. It was only the beginning.

Over the next ten days, Professor Tate's behavior grew increasingly erratic. What he didn't know was that Scorpius was the one who was moving his things about. After that first day, Scorpius moved the Potions Master's workstation in the following order: back to center, six inches left, back to center, forward five inches, back to center, back four inches, and back to center.

Tate's shoes grew increasingly tight and he had never realized that someone had charmed his shoes because it happened over time. To make matters worse, his hair began to fall out. He grew more ill-tempered as this happened.

Scorpius displayed no emotion throughout this. He went about going to class the same as usual. Potions became increasingly entertaining to him. Professor Tate's hair was thinning and he didn't know why. Scorpius was working on the Hair Raising Potion. "Professor Tate, am I doing this right?" he asked innocently.

Professor Tate was a man on the edge. "Malfoy! Can't you see that you've done that wrong already? Why didn't you ask me before you poured the slug juice?!" He raked his fingers through his hair with rising inclination. His eyes widened as he looked at his hands. He had a clump of hair in it. "AH!"

"Sorry, Professor Tate. Are you all right?" asked Scorpius with mock concern. "You seem a bit stressed."

"SHUT UP! STOP TALKING, YOU BRAT! TEN POINTS OFF SLYTHERIN FOR TALKING TO ME!" screeched Professor Tate.

The other students stopped their work and stared at the Potions Master. He was shaking with anger at Scorpius who honestly appeared to have done nothing wrong. He shrugged and dumped the potion to start over without saying a word.

Albus said to Rose in a whisper, "It's obvious he's gone mad."

"I HEARD THAT!" shrieked Tate as he spun around to face Al and Rose. "TWENTY POINTS FROM GRYFFINDOR!"

The students gawked at him and all of them stopped working all together.

"ALL OF YOU BRATS DON'T REALIZE WHAT AN HONOR IT IS TO HAVE ME AS A PROFESSOR! I WAS HEAD APOTHECARY OF ST. MUNGO'S!" screamed Tate. He was heaving for air as he saw all of the eyes on him. "STOP LOOKING AT ME!"

Scorpius was surprised at that. Maybe, he had gone a trifle bit too far. He along with all the other students took an involuntary step backwards from the professor. Tate tore out of the room and locked himself in the stockroom.

Scorpius had forgotten which potion labels he had rotated for sure. He could only remember if he was in there again. "What was that about?" wondered Rose out loud.

Her other cousin, Fred Weasley, shrugged, "I think he's snapped. He's always been wound a bit too tight."

"Do you think someone did something to him?" asked Albus.

Rose shook her head, dismissing the very idea, "I highly doubt anyone would do something to a professor directly or indirectly. Like you said, it's obvious he's gone mad."

Scorpius didn't even bother with re-doing the potion. He sat down on the stool and read the textbook. There was little point to re-doing the potion because he had done it right the first time and knew it.

While Professor Tate barricaded himself in the stockroom, he yanked his shoes off. He looked at them. He could have sworn that they were smaller, but they looked exactly the same. Paranoia was starting to set in as he went to look at the stock. He saw that the bottles were out of order. He shook his head and started to set the bottles in order, but then he realized that he bottles were mislabeled but he had done them himself. He gripped his head with his fingers and still more hair ended up in his hands. "AH!" he exclaimed again so loudly.

The students looked at each other. Rose couldn't take it anymore. "I'm going to get Professor McGonagall," she declared. "Come on, Al. Fred." The three of them left.

"I don't understand what the problem is," said one of the Slytherin students. "It's only Tate. I say we seal him inside."

"We'll only get in trouble if we do that," pointed out Scorpius. The other students looked at him. "I'm just saying."

Before long, Professor McGonagall returned with Rose, Fred, and Al. The headmistress had a mixture of amusement and annoyance as she marched up to the stockroom door. "Professor Tate, it's Professor McGonagall. What is the meaning of this?" She pounded on the door. "Open this door."

"I can't, I have to fix all of these bottles. They're all wrong," muttered a voice from behind the door.

"Children, please wait outside," instructed the Headmistress.

The students went to go wait outside the classroom. They didn't talk as they tried to listen in on what was going on. They heard the frustrated the voice of the Headmistress say, "It's only hair, Ichabod. It will grow back."

"That's not all!" exclaimed Tate. "The shoes. My shoes. Someone's been shrinking my shoes."

"Did you know that people's feet still grow well into adulthood? That is no reason to take it out on the students."

"That's not all! Someone's been moving things around in here. My work station. It can't be moving on its own!"

"It looks centered to me, Ichabod."

"It's centered right now, but the other day it was off."

"That's not the only thing in the room that might be off."

The students started snickering at that point. "THEY'RE LAUGHING AT ME!" yelled Tate. "You hear that, don't you?"

"Professor Tate, I think that you should cancel the rest of your classes for today," suggested Professor McGonagall. "It might be better for you to get some rest. You seem a bit stressed."

Scorpius stood far away from the other students, leaning against the wall with his Potions book open. He read it as if there was nothing else going on. He didn't seem at all bothered by what was going on. Suddenly, Professor McGonagall came out, "Why don't you lot start going to your next class? Now." They didn't need telling twice and Scorpius was the first one to leave for class.

Professor Tate ran back to his office after he was ordered to take the afternoon off. He went to his desk to get his flask of firewhiskey to calm down. He didn't normally do this. He only had the flasks for the occasionally nip or two.

The Potions Master opened the first flask in his desk. He tipped his head back to take a swig and only a drop hit his tongue. He then, flung it against the wall and searched for the others. All the flasks were emptied. He slumped into a corner.

***

The entire school had something to talk about other than the recent defeat of Slytherin against Gryffindor. Rumors that Professor Tate was mentally unstable had spread throughout the school like wildfire. Theories abound as to what made the man snap, but most people rejected the theories as just that and concluded that Tate was crazy for quite sometime. It had only become apparent on that day.

Dinner was always a busy affair. Professor Tate emerged from his quarters to go and get some food. He was quite drunk, having downed almost the entire bottle of firewhiskey in his room. The students stopped talking as soon as they saw him stagger in. He was barefoot, being unable to put on his shoes. Clumps of his hair were missing along with half of his mustache.

The faculty was shocked at the Potions Master had appeared intoxicated. "Professor Tate, are you okay?" asked Professor Longbottom. He went up to him. Smelling the alcohol on Tate's breath, Professor Longbottom backed off a bit. "Let's get you out of here."

"N-no-" slurred Tate. "I-I'm staying! I have an announcement to make!"

"Professor Tate," said the Headmistress. "Return to your quarters immediately."

"NO!" exploded Professor Tate. "I know that you're all against me! Each and everyone of you!" He spun around. He was pointing with his right index finger. "I'm not going crazy. Someone is after me and they're in this room!"

Scorpius sat still as everyone else was stunned into silence. "I know it was one of you! One of you did all this to me!" shouted Professor Tate. "I'll find out which one of you it is!" It was at this point he started screaming expletives and making rude gestures with his hands.

Professor Flitwick cast a silencing charm on Professor Tate, who then drunkenly leaped at the faculty. None of the professors made a move to stop him because he had simply passed out. "Oh my," said Professor Vector.

"Get him out of here!" ordered Professor McGonagall.

Professor Longbottom and Professor Flitwick did just that. The stunned silence ended as the roar of laughter filled the Great Hall. The most enthusiastic table was the Slytherins' who were glad to see their head of house levitated out. Scorpius actually smiled for the first time since his parents had died. It wasn't for a good reason. He covered his smile with his hand.

Soon after, Professor Tate was removed from Hogwarts after a slew of angry letters from parents and he went into an early retirement. No one really looked into the accusations that Professor Tate had made against one of the students. There were simply was too many suspects. The flasks and bottle of firewhiskey had all but ruined his credibility. Meanwhile the school put out an ad, seeking out a new Potions Master, and the Slytherin dorms had the heat turned back on.

* * *

Author's Note: Now this was a fun chapter to write. Not as sad as the other chapters. This chapter is longer than the others. The list of things that Scorpius did just grew as I wrote it. Very simply put just don't mess with a Malfoy. The song that I was listening to for this was "Bounce with Me" by Kreesha Turner. It's good mischief making music.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	8. Part 8: The Headmistress’ Office

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Eight: The Headmistress' Office

Easter holidays came and went quicker than a Lightening Bolt broomstick. The time came for the third years to pick their elective classes. Scorpius had no one to advise him on what to take, so he looked over his options. There was one class in particular that he was interested in taking, so he put that first on the list, followed by two others. He was unsure, but he skipped Divination and Care for Magical Creatures.

Much to his surprise, he was summoned to see the Headmistress shortly after submitting his class selections. Scorpius was unsure as to what he might have done wrong, so he was nervous. Most of the professors began to relax around him. He still had nightmares at night, but no one knew about them except for him.

Headmistress McGonagall greeted him with a smile. She invited him, "Have a seat, Mr. Malfoy."

Scorpius took a seat that was in front of her desk. He saw the rest of the portraits of former headmasters looking down at him. It was like having a room of headmasters and headmistresses studying him. "You needed to speak with me, Headmistress?" he asked, shifting uncomfortably.

"I was concern about you. You seem to be doing fine," said the headmistress. "How are you really though?"

"I find it best to just study," said Scorpius. "It helps keep my mind off of it. My grandmother owls me all the time and so does Teddy."

"Teddy Lupin was one of my favorite students. A great Auror," said Professor McGonagall. She turned her attention to the issue at hand. "I didn't call you up to discuss this, but I wanted to talk to you about your classes next year and how you are doing right now. I see your grades in Potions have improved significantly since the departure of Professor Tate. However, you seem to be struggling with your Defense Against The Dark Arts classes. Why is that?"

"I don't know," replied Scorpius. "I just can't concentrate there."

"Professor Larkin said that your marks have been slipping."

"I'll try harder."

Professor McGonagall wrote down a note on the parchment in front of her. "Now, onto your course selection for the next year, you wrote down that you want to take Muggle Studies, Ancient Runes, and Arithmancy."

"Yes, but I'm not so sure about the other two," said Scorpius.

"Which two?"

"Ancient Runes and Arithmancy."

"But not Muggle Studies? You do know what that class entails, right?"

Scorpius nodded, "Yes, I do. It's the study of how non-Magical folk go through the world without magic. It's also a class that teaches us how to do the same."

"You do know that it teaches tolerance for Muggles, and does not promote hatred and inferiority of them?"

"I don't think they're inferior at all. They're just different," said Scorpius. "After my parents died, they were the ones who looked after me. They saved my life. It couldn't hurt to learn more about them." He looked at Professor McGonagall who normally looked so stern. Her face had softened as he had spoken. "Are you saying I can't take the class? That there's no room for me there?"

A rare smile broke out on the Headmistress' face as she shook her head, answering, "No, of course, you may take the class if you wish. Considering what's happened, I don't think it would be a bad idea for you to do so."

Scorpius was relieved. He moved on, "So what about the other two? Should I take those? I don't really want to take Divination. It seems pretty—I don't know the right word for it—but it's just guessing, isn't it?"

"All the classes you have selected will be challenging one way or another to you," said Professor McGonagall. "However, if you wish to take them, then you may. I think you are more than capable of doing it."

"Inconceivable!" shouted one of the portraits. "You're a Malfoy! A pureblood, you shouldn't be learning about those Muggles." It was the portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black, who was Scorpius' ancestor. The two portraits of the last two Headmasters were rather amused by this. Albus Dumbledore's portrait beamed as Severus Snape's smirked a bit.

"I'm not taking advice from a picture," said Scorpius simply. He turned his attention back to Professor McGonagall, inquiring, "So, are my classes approved, Headmistress? I didn't know you were reviewing all of the third year picks."

"I'm not," admitted Professor McGonagall. "You are the student I worry the most about."

Scorpius stared at her wide eyed. "It's because my parents are dead, right?"

"That's one part of it. You may not be aware that your grandparents are currently separated."

"Separated? I thought my grandmother just stayed with me because my grandfather didn't want me in the house."

Professor McGonagall didn't know the whole story and questioned, "Why is that, Scorpius? Why have you been all but banned from Malfoy Manor?" She was well aware of Lucius Malfoy's flaws, but she also thought that he was protective of his family at the very least for image's sake.

"I think that he might blame me for my dad," said Scorpius as he blinked a bit. "And also he thinks that I'm tainted and dirty."

"Why would he think that?" asked the headmistress.

"Because I was found by the Muggles after the attack and they saved my life like I said. They gave me a blood transfusion. As far as my grandfather's concern, I'm no longer a pureblood," replied Scorpius. He concluded, "The doctor was really nice and the nurses stayed with me around the clock until Teddy came. They even pitched in and got me a present because it was Christmas." He didn't mention that it was also his birthday. After that day, Scorpius had promised himself he would never celebrate his birthday again.

"People are capability of anything, Scorpius. They are capable of the most appalling atrocities as you are aware of, but you also know that they are capable of generous acts of kindness whether they are Muggle or not."

"My dad said that my grandfather was wrong," said Scorpius. He thought about his father who had died protecting him. "He said that it's better for me to think on my own rather than have someone else's ideas shoved down my throat. He said that he always asked what I was thinking because he never got that as a kid. Grandfather was wrong about the Muggles. It was a wizard who killed my parents and nearly killed me, but it was the Muggles who saved me."

"I'm sure you will enjoy your classes next term as long as you try your hardest," said Professor McGonagall. Scorpius rose from the chair. "And if you need anything else, you do know that my door is always open."

"Yes, I know. Thank you, Headmistress," said Scorpius as he left the office.

***

Scorpius wrote his grandmother apprising her of his class choices for the following year. She responded with questions about the Muggle Studies classes, which Scorpius responded back with his reason for taking it. She wrote back that it was all right if he really wanted to take the course. She had no objections whatsoever.

No one else would have gotten wind of Scorpius taking Muggle Studies if it weren't for Lucius Malfoy. Towards the end of the term, during final exams, the students were all gathered in the Great Hall devouring breakfast while some of the students futility studied notes and textbooks. The owls flew in dropping off letters and parcels. An eagle owl flew to Scorpius who was trying to finish his breakfast. It had a red envelope that was smoking in its claws.

Scorpius raised an eyebrow at it, but took the envelope anyway. The owl swooped off. "Malfoy got a howler," said someone out loud as Scorpius put it down on the table.

"Open it already!" shouted James Potter with accompanying laughter from the rest of the Gryffindor table. The other tables along with the faculty table looked at Scorpius. He didn't make a move to open it.

It didn't matter because it had stopped smoking and started scorching the table. Then the howler exploded all together with a large booming voice that only a few recognized as Lucius Malfoy's. "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS, SCORPIUS?! NO GRANDSON OF MINE IS TAKING MUGGLE STUDIES! YOU ARE TO STOP THIS OBSCENE BEHAVIOR IMMEDIATELY! YOU ARE AN EMBARRASSMENT TO THE MALFOY NAME!—"

It suddenly cut off because Scorpius had poured the jug of pumpkin juice onto it. He then took out his wand and said, "_Scourgify_." He cleaned up the whole thing in a single spell, gathered up his things, and left without a word.

The silence was quickly over when the entire Great Hall broke it by talking all that once.

"Unbelievable! A Malfoy taking Muggle Studies?"

"Did you see that? He didn't even flinch!"

"Is he for real?"

"He's in Slytherin. We don't take Muggle Studies!"

"Maybe, he's trying to figure out the Muggles weakness' to exploit them?"

"Now that makes more sense."

It was difficult to say which table was more shock. No Slytherin had taken the class since the second war, even though there was some talk from the Ministry to force Muggle Studies as part of the regular curriculum rather than just an elective. The other houses were dumbfounded that Scorpius Malfoy, whose family's reputation preceded him, was daring enough to ignore a howler.

Professor Longbottom was amusingly surprised by this. First off, every howler that came in during the year reminded the professor of his school days, having received one himself. He had been more worried about Scorpius than the rest of the faculty, except for Professor McGonagall, who was just as worried as he was. Professor Longbottom remembered the last conversation he had had with Draco Malfoy.

"So he really did sign up for my class?" Professor Cho Chang asked Professor McGonagall. "I thought it was a joke."

"No joke. He fully intends to take your class next year," confirmed the headmistress. "I think he is determined to do well in your class."

Professor Chang smiled a bit. "We can change the world one student at a time just like you said."

Professor Longbottom said, "He is doing well, but only because he uses the school work to distract him. It's going to be a long, hard summer for him. He doesn't have any friends really." He said this from experience.

"He's not doing well in my class," pointed out Professor Larkin almost smugly. "I hate to fail the lad, considering all of his problems, but I haven't got a choice."

This conversation couldn't be heard by the students, but Professor Larkin was talking out of turn. Professor McGonagall called him out on it, "Professor Larkin, please refrain from discussing a student's academic progress openly."

"I'm just saying. I would have expected more from him. He was fine the first year," said Professor Larkin. "He's a slacker. Only answers questions when asked, but never gives answers otherwise."

"I don't think he's a slacker," argued Professor Longbottom. "He just lacks proper motivation." An idea began to form in his head. Everyone knew that Professor Longbottom was more than qualified to cover the DADA class because he was a former Auror, having worked with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. In fact, some of the students, mostly out of Gryffindor, had wanted him to teach the class. However, Professor Longbottom preferred Herbology instead and since Professor Sprout's retirement, he filled the position perfectly.

Scorpius went outside to relax after the howler. He knew that somehow the old man would get word about his class schedule. However, Scorpius didn't re-think his choice at all. Instead, he was resolved to not only do well in Muggle Studies, but to be the best in the class. There was no way that Scorpius would go out of his way to get back into his grandfather's good graces. He was going to stand up to him by excelling at the things his grandfather hated.

The only thing he felt guilty about was his grandmother being separated from his grandfather. He didn't want to break up their marriage. He loved his grandmother and felt like it was his fault that his grandparents were at war. He didn't want his grandmother to be distressed. They exchanged letters on a weekly basis. Both of them were lying to each other, claiming that everything was just fine. Scorpius wasn't about to let his grandmother know that his grandfather had sent a howler to him.

Scorpius missed writing letters to his parents more than anything. Since his return to school, he would sometimes start a letter without realizing that his parents were dead. He connected to his mother through his violin when he played. Most people knew that she was one of the greatest musical prodigies in the wizarding world. He missed the sound of his mother's voice. Most people didn't know that she could sing, although it wouldn't be a surprise if they found out. Scorpius' mother only sang to him and his father.

His father's last words stayed with Scorpius all the time. He had to be brave. He didn't want to appear weak at all. Scorpius would find his own way of doing things. He had handled Tate and that was a minor issue to him. He always did his best when it came to things that mattered to him.

The rest of the exams went fast for Scorpius and before he knew it was time to board the train and leave the school. He wasn't sure where he was going, so he was anxious about it. He also didn't know who would be waiting for him at the platform.

He packed up his trunk slowly, trying to put off the inevitable. He was the last of the students out of the dorms as the carriages began to come up to collect the students to deliver them to the train station. Scorpius saw the thestrals as they pulled up to the students. One of them was looking at him as he looked at it. He reached out his hand, letting the beast sniff him. He willed himself to be steady and unafraid of it. It must have looked strange to the other students because it looked like he was holding up his hand to nothing.

Professor Longbottom was standing nearby watching him. "Come along, Scorpius. You don't want to miss the train," he said a moment later.

"Yes, Professor Longbottom," said the boy.

The professor placed his hand on Scorpius' shoulder and said, "I'm sorry that you can see them, Scorpius."

"I'm sorry, too."

"See what?" asked Ella Thomas. "What's he doing?"

"Ella, say hello to your father for me," said Professor Longbottom with his usual jovial smile, ignoring her question entirely. She shrugged and bounced off to join Rose, Al, and Fred. Professor Longbottom turned his attention back to Scorpius, saying, "Try and have a good summer, Scorpius. I look forward to seeing you next term."

"Yes, Sir," nodded Scorpius.

Professor Longbottom along with the other professors put the children on the carriages. He was planning on flooing home using Rosemarta's hearth in The Three Broomsticks to get to the Leaky Cauldron. The children waved all of the teachers off and the carriages set out for the station.

Scorpius was the last one on a carriage, but he was the only Slytherin it. Beside him were Fred Weasley and James Potter. On the other side was Albus, Rose, and Devon Meyers, a Muggleborn who just discovered he was a wizard two years ago. Scorpius was glad to have a window sit.

"So, bet you wanted to sit somewhere else?" asked James. Scorpius wasn't paying attention. "Oi Malfoy!"

Scorpius turned and looked at him. "What?" he asked.

"I bet you wanted to take a carriage with the other Slytherins," said James.

"Leave him alone, James," said Rose.

Scorpius shrugged, "It doesn't make a difference to me. I'm pretty open minded to disliking everyone, including other Slytherins." Fred snorted as Albus raised his eyebrows at him.

"You're weird," said Devon. "I thought no Slytherin would take Muggle Studies. Not that I need to."

"What are you doing in Slytherin anyway then?" asked Fred. "You must be the first Slytherin to take the class in over twenty years."

"Don't you people have other things to talk about other than my class selection?" demanded Scorpius.

James answered, "Fine, what about your parents? What happened to them?"

"Shut up!" snapped Scorpius. His side started to hurt. "It's none of your business."

"James, don't bug him about it," said Albus. "Dad hated it when people kept talking about him like that."

"Just trying to make conversation," said James as he kicked his younger brother in the shin.

"OW!" exclaimed Albus, who retaliated by a kicking his brother back.

Rose exclaimed, "Both of you knock it off! Let's just get to the station without killing each other. Why do you do this every year to each other?"

"It's only been two years, Rose, and we haven't killed each other yet," retorted James. "Malfoy, was it really your granddad who sent the howler?"

"Yes," replied Scorpius without looking at anyone. He said nothing further.

The conversation soon left him as they got to the station. Scorpius was forced to find a compartment to sit in, but most of them were full by the time they had arrived. At this rate, he was going to have to sit in the tight hallway. Then someone knocked from inside a compartment. Turning his head, he saw that it was Albus Potter. He opened the compartment door. "Do you want to sit with us? Almost all the other compartments are full," he offered.

Scorpius shrugged. He didn't have a choice really and beggars can't be choosers. He nodded and walked into the compartment. Rose and Fred were already in there with Ella Thomas. There was still room for Scorpius as he took a seat next to the door. "Thanks," he said.

He closed his eyes and ended up sleeping through most of the train ride home. He didn't wake up again until Fred had tapped his shoulder. "We're here," he told him.

"Come on, Fred. I see my dad, my dad, and Hugo. Roxanne is waving for you," said Rose. The rest of them left as Scorpius slowly got up. He wondered if he could just wait out the summer on the train, but he got out of the compartment and was the last one off the train. He watched as reunions happened around him, but he was alone.

"Scorpius!" called out Teddy as he came up to him. He had a broad grin on his face.

Harry and Ginny Potter along with their children walked up to them. "How do you know him, Teddy?" asked James incredulously.

"He's my cousin," replied Teddy. Seeing that Scorpius was confused, he explained, "Your grandmother's told me come collect you. She's tied up at the moment by your grandfather. You'll be staying at my place until she comes by later. Where's your trunk, mate?"

Scorpius looked around. He spotted it on a trolley with his initials on it and he dashed over to go and get it.

"He's really your cousin?" asked Albus. "He's weird."

"Don't go and say that," said Ginny as she looked at her husband.

"He is weird," insisted James. "At school, he got a howler from his grandfather because he signed up for Muggle Studies next year."

Harry and Ginny looked a bit stunned by that. Teddy raised his eyebrow. "Wow," he said as Scorpius came back with the trolley. He had his wand out. "Why do you have your wand out? You know you can't do magic out of school?" his cousin asked.

"My dad always collected it at the station," said Scorpius. "I guess I'll give it to my grandmother." He put it away, forgetting that his father wasn't there to take his wand for the summer.

"How are you, Scorpius?" asked Harry.

"I'm fine, Mr. Potter," replied Scorpius almost too automatically. He was feeling much better. "Hello, Mrs. Potter." He nodded to Ginny. It was then that he saw how many people were looking at him. It wasn't paranoia because they were looking at him. Their youngest child, Lily, was staring at him with her brown eyes. "May we go now please, Teddy?" he requested.

"Sure, Scorpius," agreed Teddy. "Here I'll take the trolley." Scorpius shook his head, refusing to relinquish it to his cousin. "Can you handle it?" Scorpius simply nodded and Teddy understood perfectly that he wanted to handle things on his own.

* * *

Author's Note: Even longer because of the dialogue. Yes, Scorpius is shaping up to be a very weird Slytherin indeed. There were several parts cut on this part. Yes, there was a reference to The Princess Bride. It is one of my favorite books. Anyway, thanks for the reviews thus far and the over interest from the people are reading this story. Thank you very much.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	9. Part 9: Teddy’s Flat

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Nine: Teddy's Flat

Teddy Lupin's place wasn't too far away from his grandmother's, and he frequently visited with his grandmother and godfather for all the free meals at the two households. His place was a bachelor pad, but there were feminine touches throughout because of his longtime girlfriend hanging out there often. She was the one who insisted that he have some plants for the needed oxygen.

He had two rooms in his flat, one as an office, but it was the room of clutter and his bedroom. The room of clutter made it possible for the rest of his place to look presentable to the general public, namely Victoire Weasley. She didn't approve of the clutter room, but just the same she made sure the rest of Teddy's flat was clean in the living room area and even went as far as to make some food for Teddy's guest.

Victoire had heard about Scorpius Malfoy from Teddy. She, like about half of the wizarding population, actually pitied the child. She had prepared the biscuits that her grandmother had taught her to bake, which she remembered enjoying as soon as she came home from school at the end of every summer.

"We're back!" hollered Teddy as he came up from the fireplace. The soot was getting all over the floor that Victoire had just magiked clean, but it didn't matter because she was just always happy to see her boyfriend. She ran up to him and they share a brief kiss. Behind him, was a pale boy with angelic features. He looked somewhat confused. "Oh, Victoire, this is my cousin, Scorpius Malfoy. Scorpius, my girlfriend Victoire Weasley," Teddy said as he and his girlfriend pulled apart only short distance.

"Would you like some biscuits?" offered Victoire.

Scoprius didn't have a sweet tooth, even though everyone assumed he did. He nodded out of politeness. "Thank you," he said as set his trunk in the corner. "If you don't mind me asking, just how many are there of you?"

"Excuse me?" asked Victoire.

"Weasleys. There's a lot of them. All over the school. Most of them concentrated in Gryffindor, but there's a lot of you."

Victoire laughed because as the first grandchild she was used to it. "My grandparents had seven children. My father Bill, then my uncles, and then my aunt. I have two siblings, but you probably already know Dominique and Louis from school. Then my Uncle Percy and Aunt Audrey had Molly and Lucy. My Uncle George and Aunt Angelina had Fred and Roxanne. My Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermone had Rose and Hugo. Finally, my Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry had James, Albus, and Lily."

"Yes, I gathered that. There's a lot of you," said Scorpius as Teddy chuckled. He reached over and took a biscuit, taking a bit from it.

"You got taller," observed Teddy as he held out his hand. "Definitely taller." He was showing an indication of Scoprius' height.

"You sound like one my uncles," said Victoire as she laughed. "Of course, he's going to get taller after all you haven't seen him in months." She looked back and forth between the cousins. She had tons of cousins, but Teddy only had one really.

Scorpius sighed. "Anything from the Aurors, Teddy?" he asked. He didn't really want to ask.

"The case is at a stand still. Harry wants to have a word with you about it sometime during the summer," said Teddy. "The list of suspects is long and most of them have been cleared."

"I see," said Scorpius. "Why does he need to talk to me?"

"In case, you wanted to talk," replied Teddy. "You know holding it all in isn't good for you."

"I bet there were times when Harry Potter wished that no one else knew what happened to his parents," said Scorpius in an unintentionally harsh tone. Teddy and Victoire stared at him. He quickly said, "I'm sorry. I must look like an ungrateful prat. I just can't stand the way that people are looking at me and how they talk about me behind my back. How they say that my dad had it coming, and how it would be better if I had died, too. Do you know what that's like?"

"There is a reason why you're alive," answered Teddy. "People are going to assume the worst about what happened, but only because you won't say anything. It looks bad because you aren't setting the record straight, so people are making up things to say and believe."

Scorpius took another biscuit. It was delicious. "People will believe what they want to believe even if you do set the record straight," he said.

Victoire could see how tense the room had gotten. Teddy was a reasonable man and a very caring one. Scorpius reminded her a bit of Teddy at that age. He was a boy with a chip on his shoulder, who was angry for a good reason at the world. He was still a boy, even though he was a teenager. The scowl didn't suit his otherwise handsome face. "You two, honestly, is this what it's like when you get together? My cousins and I have loads more fun than this," she said.

"Sorry," said Teddy and Scorpius in unison. Teddy raked his fingers through his blue hair. He was in a blue mood that day. "Anyway, your gran said that she's taking you to your parents' house for the summer, but if you don't want to, you can go to Black Manor."

"No, I feel like I going home," said Scorpius. "I haven't been there since before Christmas."

"If you want to hang out during the break just let me know," offered Teddy.

Scorpius said, "You don't have to do that, Teddy. I'm sure you have other plans."

"Actually, your grandmother and my gran are having tea regularly. I've been dragged to it at least a couple of times. If I have to sit through it, so do you."

"Tea? Seriously?"

Victoire laughed. "I think it's cute that your grandmothers have tea and you, their grandsons, should join them. Your family isn't that big."

Scorpius shrugged. "Cute?" groaned Teddy. "Don't use that word to describe us."

"She's right the family is getting smaller," said Scorpius. "My grandfather sent a howler during finals."

"A howler? Why?" asked Teddy.

"He found out that I signed up for Muggle Studies," replied Scorpius. "I don't remember most of it, but something about me being an embarrassment to the Malfoy name. I mean what more could I do with the family name that hasn't been done to it?"

Teddy laughed out loud at this. He laughed for a good five minutes as Victoire gawked at Scoprius. "It's not funny, Teddy," she said. "Did he threaten you?"

"I don't know. I didn't let it finish. I poured pumpkin juice over it," answered Scorpius. "But knowing Lucius Malfoy the way that I do, most likely he did."

"Aren't you worried he might do something to you?" pressed Victoire with genuine concern.

Teddy said, "Vic, Lucius Malfoy isn't going to do anything to him. Not with that many people paying attention to him. He has bigger problems of his own with Aunt Cissy."

"What is going on with them?" asked Scorpius.

"I hate to be the one to tell you this, but Aunt Cissy has had enough of your grandfather," answered Teddy as he looked at Victoire. "She's filed for divorce."

Scorpius was unable to hide his shock. "Divorce? She actually did it, but she didn't tell me anything. I mean she wasn't living in Malfoy Manor anymore. When did this happen?"

"The filing started today," said Teddy.

"That's what you meant when you said she was tied up with my grandfather?" asked Scorpius. He blinked then he smiled. "Good for her. She has put up with enough of him. I just hope he doesn't drag this out."

"It might be a long, drag out fight," said Teddy. "Your grandmother is actually going for what rightfully is hers after nearly forty years of marriage. Your grandfather isn't going to let her have anything. About the only thing he's letting her have is you."

"Well, I would have gone with her anyway," said Scorpius. "That man doesn't deserve to be called a grandfather."

Teddy and Victoire nodded in agreement.

***

Harry and Ginny were really happy to have their children home for the break. They were all going to the Burrow for a party that was set up every year. The kids were plenty excited. On the way there James was the one who regaled their parents with the story of how Scorpius Malfoy reacted to a howler from his grandfather. It was a good laugh for everyone. Harry had been concerned about Scorpius Malfoy's well being. It was hard not to be.

"No one could believe that he just poured pumpkin juice all over the howler like that," ended James.

"What did he do next?" asked Ginny.

Albus answered, "He just stood up and walked out of there like it was nothing. He didn't even look scared of his grandfather."

"Malfoy's a little weird anyway," said James. "He doesn't even have any friends and some of the Slytherins were talking about him. They call him a freak."

"I hope you're not calling him that," his mother told him.

"No, of course, not," James immediately said.

Albus said, "Scorpius Malfoy doesn't really cause any problems in school. I remember last year people were hexing him in corridors. Someone yanked a chair right from under him in class, but it was Binns class so hardly anything was done."

"I remember in school his father was always going on about what his father would do," put in Harry.

"Malfoy doesn't do anything. I don't think he even tells the teachers about any of it," said Albus. "I've never heard him complain about it. In class, he doesn't talk unless he's called upon. Never raises his hand, never draws attention to himself unless he has to."

Harry looked at his children through the rearview mirror. "Draco must have done everything opposite his father did," he murmured.

Harry thought about how it was the first years of his life before Hogwarts and how he had no friends. It wasn't his choosing, but it was hard. It was hard feeling all alone in the school. Teddy talked about the letters that Scorpius sent to him frequently. It was almost on a weekly basis. Even Scorpius' father had some form of human contact in the form of the Crabbe and Goyle.

Harry could see that Scorpius was probably not going to be very popular because he bore the Malfoy name and his father's past deeds and reputation coupled with an entire family line devoted to pureblood mentality and bigotry. It was a lot to overcome and now Scorpius was an orphan. It was amazing that Scorpius seemed as polite as he did. Of course, Harry could have turned out nastier as well, but didn't. Scorpius was loved beyond words and measure. His father proved it when he laid down his life for him.

Scorpius could go one way or another depending on how things played out. Just like Harry, he could go evil or fight it. He saw the scar on his forehead from the side view mirror. It hadn't bothered him in years, but it was always a reminder of what happened to him.

"You could stand to be a bit more than just civil towards him," Ginny told her sons. "I mean both of you. Scorpius Malfoy may not show it, but he must be in a lot of pain."

Harry added, "It's harder for him than any of you realize." He gripped the steering wheel as he made a turn, harder than he had intended. Ginny stole a glance at him, knowing full well what he was probably feeling. He kept his eyes on the road ahead.

***

Scorpius soon returned home to his parents' house with his grandmother. She looked worn out as they sat down in the living room. "I've taken the guest room," said his grandmother. "Your parents' room was left alone."

"Have you been staying here?" he asked her. "It's all right if you were. It's safer for you to stay here or Black Manor."

"Malfoy Manor will be yours some day," said his grandmother. "I'm just making sure of it."

"I don't care," spat Scorpius as he got to his feet. "It's just a building. A building that's been built on bodies. I'd be soon as happy to take it apart brick by brick."

Narcissa sighed. "It's not just your inheritance I am fighting for. I have put in so much more than I should have. Given more than I should have. I have spent my entire adult life devoted to that man. If I had fought harder, I would have had a better relationship with your father. If I hadn't allowed Lucius so much control over what happened to him, I would have had more time with you." She had said all of this sitting down.

"Aren't you worried about what will happen?" asked Scorpius. "What he could do to you? If something happens to you, then I'm alone." He had voiced his biggest fear about the whole divorce. "You know that he's capable of almost anything."

"Your grandfather is a coward," proclaimed Narcissa. "But you are correct in assuming that he could do something. That's why I've taken care to make sure that others know what is going on. I'm sorry, but more of the family's dirty laundry will be aired. He wouldn't dare try anything with that many people paying attention."

"Are you certain?" demanded Scorpius anxiously. He bit his lip. He had his mother's generous lips.

Narcissa took his hand as he stood in front of her. "There are only a few things that are certainties in this life. The only thing I want you to worry about is school and trying to be happy. I'm glad to hear from the Headmistress that your grades have held up."

"Not all of them," he corrected, remember his near failing grades in DADA.

Narcissa didn't let go of his hand as she gently smiled at him. "I worry about you and how you are, my love. You are still a child. I wish that you could worry more about things that child should worry about."

Scorpius swallowed hard. He realized how empty the house was without his parents. His grandmother was the one who was the pillar of the family. Amazingly strong, she had been the one who had helped the family survive Voldemort and protected their future. "I thought he had changed after the war," said Scorpius quietly. "I thought that he didn't care about the whole pureblood thing anymore."

His father had said that his grandparents had entered Hogwarts with the purpose of reuniting with their son. That was why they got along for a while. Scorpius didn't voice the other fear that he had. It was all his fault.

"So did I," said Narcissa sadly. It was right then that Scorpius realized that his grandmother still loved his grandfather. She stood up, letting go of his hand. She smoothed her skirt. "I have taken the liberty of using your mother's kitchen. I hope you don't mind."

"You can cook?"

"Of course, I can cook. I had to fill my days with something when your father went off to school. I mostly baked. I had a lot of time on my hands. I sent parcels to school all the time to your father," she told him. Scorpius laughed and smiled as his grandmother led the way to the kitchen.

* * *

Author's Note: The Malfoys aren't really bad people per say. They just made some very bad choices. Narcissa was always interesting to me because she was fiercely protective of her son and it is because of that she ends up playing a pivotal role in the seventh book. Never stand in the way of a tigress defending her cub. Some might feel this chapter and upcoming chapters are filler chapters, but these are necessary chapters in building characterizations and plot. When I write fanfiction, I take it as seriously as I would if I were writing any of my original works. To do so otherwise, would be like short changing my readers.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	10. Part 10: The Aurors’ Headquarters

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Ten: The Aurors' Headquarters

On the first Sunday afternoon following Scorpius' return from school, he joined his grandmother, her sister, and Teddy for tea at the Tonks' residence. The house was cosy and much more lived in than any other house that Scorpius had ever set foot in. It was neat and free of dust even though his aunt had collectibles that Scorpius' father would have called "dust magnets."

There were pictures of Teddy's parents and his grandfather. It was just as difficult to tell who Teddy took after because he was a Metamorphmagus. Although, Scorpius could easily guess that Teddy took after his mother. Scorpius spent most of the tea looking at the pictures of his cousin growing up.

His grandmother had brought the scones along with refreshing cucumber sandwiches. Andromeda made the tea. She had a tea set that was elegant and hand painted. It really was too fancy for tea with her sister and their two grandsons.

Scorpius found out that Teddy was clumsy at times. He hadn't expected it. He admired his cousin, thinking that he was kind of cool. All that was shattered along with a tea cup and unexpected revelation that afternoon.

"Ow!" exclaimed Teddy after accidentally knocking over his tea cup. The tea cup bounced off his lap and landed on the floor in pieces.

"_Reparo,_" said Andromeda without so much as skipping a beat. "Cissy, the Daily Prophet is having an absolutely field day with the divorce."

"It's that Skeeter woman," said Narcissa mildly as she stirred her tea. "After twenty years of peace and keeping out of the press, she's got a lot to say about us."

Scorpius' eyes had wandered to a bookshelf. They were Muggle titles. He was reading the titles so intently that he didn't know that his aunt was speaking to him until Narcissa's disapproving look snapped him back to attention. "Excuse me, I wasn't listening, Aunt Andi," he apologized, feeling rather sheepish.

"Teddy told me that you were going to take Muggle Studies next year. Good for you," said Andromeda warmly.

"Lucius wasn't very happy about it. He sent a howler to him," said Teddy.

Narcissa glanced at Scorpius. She still didn't know about the howler. "He did what?" she hissed at him sharply.

"You didn't tell her?" asked Teddy. His hair flickered and changed from blue to purple. He had been tipping his chair backwards as well, but set it steady.

Scorpius answered in a small voice, "I didn't want to upset you, Grandmother."

"Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy," declared Narcissa in uncharacteristic anger. Scorpius winced at the full use of his name. "You should have informed me immediately when things like this happen." Even Andromea hadn't expected that as Teddy scooted away from the table. "What am I going to do with him, Andi?"

A smile twitched at the corner of Andromeda's lips. "You love and accept him for what he is," she told her sister as she started to laugh.

"Sorry, mate," Teddy told Scorpius who glared at him. "But the story's spreading like mad. If Lucius really wanted to minimize the embarrassment of his grandson taking Muggle Studies, then he really shouldn't have sent that howler."

"Knowing Lucius, he was probably too enraged to consider that," said Narcissa ruefully.

Teddy chuckled along with his grandmother as a smile formed on Scorpius' mouth. "Scorpius didn't even let the howler finish," said Teddy between his laughter. "He just poured pumpkin juice over it."

"It wasn't going to catch fire," said Scorpius. "I cleaned up the mess after."

"I think it's very practical of you to learn more about Muggles. It will make your world a bigger place," said Andromeda.

"Uncle Ted was a Muggle born, wasn't he?" asked Scorpius. He had no problem calling Ted Tonks his uncle. "The books they were his, weren't they?"

"Yes, he was and the books did belong to him," replied Teddy. "He loved a good mystery." He wasn't speaking as someone who had directly known the man, but as someone who had heard all the stories about him.

Andromeda wasn't sad that Scorpius had asked. She saw a boy who had lost so much so recently and he was still trying to make sense of it. She said, "No one really reads them anymore, if you would like to borrow them you may."

Scorpius nodded, trying not to look too keen. "I wouldn't know where to begin," he said.

"I've read all of them a thousand times," said Teddy. He stood up and went to the shelf. "I recommend Sherlock Holmes to start with. That's by Doyle. Agatha Christie, too. She's the best selling Muggle author of all time. We should go see her play _The Mousetrap_."

"Don't overwhelm him, Teddy," chided Andromeda.

"The mousetrap?" asked Scorpius.

"A stage play," replied Teddy. "Saw it ages ago, but it's great fun."

Scorpius turned to Narcissa, "Can I, Grandmother?"

"You may," permitted Narcissa. She smiled again. She had always wanted more than one child. When that didn't happen, she had hoped that Draco would give her more than one grandchild. She looked back and forth between the two young men who meant the world to her and her sister.

***

The summer went by slowly for Scorpius who spent the time reading his textbooks ahead of schedule and reading Muggle mysteries long into the night. He simply didn't sleep very well because of the nightmares. He didn't tell anyone about them, but he had a suspicion that his grandmother was aware of it. How could she not notice the dark circles that had formed under his eyes from lack of sleep?"

Narcissa did indeed notice. She was concerned about it. When it went on for another fortnight straight, she dragged Scorpius to go and see Healer Thomas at St. Mungo's. So, there they were at the hospital for a check-up with the healer. Worst part was that his grandmother stayed in the room during the exam.

"So, you haven't been sleeping very well, have you?" asked Healer Thomas, stating the most obvious thing in the room. "Have you been in any pain or discomfort?"

Scorpius kept his mouth shut. His grandmother gave him a questioning look. "Scorpius, answer the healer," she ordered.

"Do you have to be here?" asked Scorpius exasperatedly.

"I changed your diapers when you were a baby," retorted Narcissa, folding her arms over her chest.

Healer Thomas had seen this happen a lot. When children got to a certain age, mostly boys, they didn't want their guardians in the room during the exams. However, Healer Thomas had an inkling that it had nothing to do with bodily changes that Scorpius might have been going through. "You have been through a trauma. The Muggles have a name for it. It's called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It might help if you talked to someone about it. I'd rather hold off on giving you potions to deal with it."

"I don't want to talk about it," muttered Scorpius.

Narcissa said, "It might help if you did, Scorpius. You can't hold it all in."

"I said I don't want to talk about it!" snapped Scorpius. He held on to the edge of the exam table so tightly. His knuckles turned white at that point. His shirt was off. The wound was now a soft scar. He rarely looked at it. He felt it throb. "It hurts," he muttered.

Healer Thomas examined the wound. "It was inflicted by magic. I can't get rid of it. No one can. Tell me when does it hurt?" he asked.

"I don't know. It happens whenever I get upset about something," answered Scorpius. "Like just now."

"I don't know much about scars caused by magic, but I do know from first hand accounts that sometimes a scar can hurt as a warning of things to come," said Healer Thomas. "That scar is more than just an old wound; it's evidence of a crime."

Narcissa said, "Healer Thomas, will the pain go away eventually with time?"

"I'm not sure. Your guess is as good as mine," replied Healer Thomas.

"What about that first hand account?" asked Scorpius.

Healer Thomas answered, "It's hard to say. You'd have to ask him directly, but I think that the scar on him hasn't hurt since the end of the second war."

"You mean Harry Potter," concluded Narcissa.

Scorpius tensed up even more at that. He had heard the talk about the comparisons between him and the famous wizard. He wasn't anything like that. There was no grand destiny awaiting him. He was just a survivor. Not a hero in the making. "He still wants to talk to me about what happened, doesn't he?"

"He would probably be the best person for you to speak with," said Healer Thomas. "Don't worry. I wouldn't tell him anything you'd tell me. We have healer-patient privilege."

"But you want me to talk to him, don't you, Grandmother?" asked Scorpius without looking at her.

"Yes, I would," replied Narcissa. "But only if you want to."

"I already talked to him. They took my statement. I don't have anything else I can give," said Scorpius.

"There might be some other way to extract more information, if you're willing," said Healer Thomas."

"How?"

"A Pensieve."

"A what?"

"A Pensieve is a device that you can use to view memories. You don't really forget them. You just pull them out."

Scorpius nodded. "Do you think it will help me sleep at night?" he asked.

"It might," answered Healer Thomas. "I believe we can get access to one. They're very rare and hard to find, but the Aurors for sure have one."

Scorpius faced his grandmother and made a request he never thought he'd make, "Please ask Mr. Potter if he's willing to meet with me."

***

The appointment concluded and she went about making arrangements first through Teddy to contact Harry directly so that a meeting could be arranged. Scorpius didn't say another word about it until the appointment was confirmed. The Malfoys came to the Ministry of Magic on the appointed day sometime in the middle of August. Scorpius was just about to go in, when he made another request, "I'd rather talk to Mr. Potter alone, Grandmother."

Narcissa knew it took a lot to get her grandson to even ask for the appointment. She simply nodded, "Very well."

They walked into the Aurors' Headquarters where they were greeted by Ron Weasley. "Hello, Mrs. Malfoy," he said with a nod. "Hello, Scorpius. You're both right on time."

Narcissa had her hand around Scorpius' shoulder. "Hello, Mr. Weasley," said Scorpius almost expressionless.

"This is most unusual. People normally don't want to use a Pensieve for this sort of thing. They don't want a chance of all of their secrets to be revealed," said Ron musingly.

Scorpius had other things he didn't want people knowing, like Tate for example. "I'm thirteen. It's not like I've done a lot," he said.

"No, I suppose not," said Ron. He simply didn't know what to make of the boy. The more he looked at him, the less he saw of Draco Malfoy. True, he still resembled his father, but he had his own face and his own way of carrying himself. For one thing, the boy had nearly impeccable manners about him. He observed that Scorpius had his hand up to his right side. The boy probably didn't even realize he was doing it.

"Hello Mrs. Malfoy. Scorpius. Thank you for coming," said Harry as he came up.

"Thank you for having us, Harry," said Narcissa. "My grandson has asked that this be done just between the two of you."

Harry nodded. "Ron, please make Mrs. Malfoy feel at home while Scorpius and I have a chat," he said.

"No problem, Harry," said Ron.

Narcissa didn't look ready to release her grandson from her protective grip. Scorpius dropped his hand from his side and stepped forward, leaving her. "This way, Scorpius," said Harry as he led the way. Scorpius didn't even look back. "Do you have his wand, Mrs. Malfoy?"

"Yes," nodded Narcissa as she handed it to Harry.

"Would you like a cup of tea?" Scorpius heard Ron offer his grandmother. He didn't even hear her answer as he followed Harry to one of the interrogation rooms.

"This is just for added privacy," Harry assured him. There was the Pensieve on the table. It was a basin with markings on the outside of it. Scorpius knew it was runes, but he couldn't read them. "I have special permission to allow you to use your wand for this," he said as handed it to Scorpius.

Scorpius felt the warm familiarity of his wand. "How do I do this?" he asked.

"All you do is this," said Harry as he tapped his wand against his own head and drew out a silvery light, depositing it into the Pensieve. Scorpius stared at the scar on Harry's forehead, but didn't say anything. Harry explained, "The memories that are in a Pensieve are accurate. Take a look."

Scorpius looked into the Pensieve. He saw his father and him at the station on Platform 9 ¾. Harry looked at Draco and they acknowledged each other. Draco curtly nodded at Harry. Scorpius pulled back. "That was the last time you saw him, wasn't it?" he asked.

"Yes," nodded Harry as he tapped his wand back into the Pensieve and re-deposited the memory in his mind. "I will view them when you are done, but just relax and let the memories come to the surface of your mind."

"It shouldn't be that hard," muttered Scorpius as Harry nodded and left the room. He sat still for a moment as he felt his scar throb. He gripped his wand tightly as he closed his eyes. Slowly he brought his wand up to his forehead and pulled out the first memory, feeling it leave him was almost painful as he dropped it into the Pensieve. He repeated the action until he had done it enough. The last one was the hardest as he had to force it out. It was the memory itself that allowed him to do it. "_Don't be afraid. I need you to be brave_," his father's words echoed in his head as he pulled that memory out.

* * *

Author's Note: I had to read up on the Pensieve. I figured that you can pull out the memories to keep them safe. But I find it hard to believe that a person would simply forget them once their out of the person's mind. If that were true, then they'd be pulling out all sorts of bad things and never learning from them. Thanks for the reviews and the encouragement as always.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	11. Part 11: Diagon Alley

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Eleven: Diagon Alley

Harry had no idea what to expect when he returned to the room. Scorpius looked exhausted. There were unshed tears in his eyes as he put his wand down. Harry resisted the urge to comfort him. He went to the Pensieve and looked into it. He saw that Scorpius started to rock himself back and forth in an attempt to calm down.

Scorpius' hands were rounded into tight fists on his lap. He looked ready to burst at any moment. Harry realized that Scorpius was suppressing a lot of his pain and grief. "It's all my fault," he muttered under his breath. "It's all my fault. If I haven't asked to go there, they'd still be alive."

It was all Harry could take as he walked around the table to Scorpius. He placed his hand on his shoulder to steady him. "It's not your fault," said Harry firmly. He never thought in a million years that he would be the one investigating Draco Malfoy's murder and comforting his son. "I promise you I will find the person who did this and they will pay for it."

Scorpius furiously shook his head as he refused to look at Harry. Harry still had to look at the Pensieve. Otherwise all the pain that Scorpius just went through would have been pointless. "May I go to the water closet?" he asked in a tired voice.

Harry nodded and Scorpius made a hasty exit. Harry took the seat that Scorpius just left. Taking a deep breath, he looked into the Pensieve. Nothing could have prepared Harry for what he was about to see. He had seen a lot of horrors in his life. It was not something foreign to him at all. However, nothing could have prepared him for what he was about to see.

It was a long ten minutes. When Harry looked up, he was pale. Scorpius was leaning against the door. Harry hadn't heard him return. Their eyes met and they said nothing for a while. Scorpius broke the stare first as he placed his hand over his side. Harry understood as he said, "It hurts, doesn't it? The scar hurts."

Scorpius didn't answer the question, but asked, "Does yours?"

"Not for a very long time," replied Harry as he stood up to give the chair to Scorpius.

Scorpius strode to the Pensieve and picked up his wand. He pulled the memories out of it and put the memories back into his head. Harry stood next to him. Scorpius finished up fast and kept his hand on his wand. When he got up, his legs felt like jelly. Harry steadied him. "Thanks," he mumbled.

"I don't have anymore questions to ask you," Harry told him.

Scorpius nodded and they left the interrogation room. Together they walked back to Narcissa and to her amazement, Scorpius embraced her. Her eyes locked with Harry's for a moment before she closed them. Scorpius pulled back and said, "I need some sleep."

"Yes," agreed Narcissa. "Let's get something to eat first." With that they walked out.

Ron expectantly glanced at Harry. "Well?" he asked as soon as the Malfoys took the elevator away from their offices.

"They were slaughtered," said Harry.

***

The rest of the summer passed quickly Scorpius still had nightmares, he still able to get more sleep then before. By the end of the summer, Scorpius not only re-read his textbooks from the last year, but he had devoured several novels from his aunt's house. He spent the daytime practicing his violin and playing the piano.

Narcissa and Lucius had bought a top of the line broomstick for Scorpius' last birthday, which he had barely used, so she practically kicked him out of the house whenever she felt he needed to have some fresh air. Like his father, Scorpius was an excellent flyer. He didn't express any desire to join the Slytherin Quidditch team. Narcissa thought that he would make a great chaser or seeker.

On days that Narcissa had to be in court, or met with her lawyers, Scorpius was sent to visit her sister or Teddy would take him out for some kind of Muggle outing. They had gone out to see movies and to pubs. It was a great relief to Scorpius is because he didn't have to worry about the stares and the gossiping from the wizards and witches of the magical world. He could relax amongst the Muggles.

Scoripus' parents' lawyers also got together with him and his grandmother at the house. He had inherited everything. His parents had assets in the millions. They also had properties, including the house. His mother had several royalties from her recordings as well as compositions that continued to collect money even after her death.

Scorpius and his grandmother had to go Diagon Alley to pick up his school supplies. They went to the bank first and once again they were the talk of the area. Narcissa and Scorpius ignored most of it. The divorce brought a lot of attention as well as the deaths of the Scorpius' parents. These were the reasons why Scorpius stayed out of wizarding society as much as possible.

Diagon Alley was packed with other Hogwarts students getting their supplies together. Much to Scorpius' surprise, his grandmother gave him the money out of the vaults and gave him marching orders that he was to go alone. He was stunned not quite hearing what she had told him. "You don't need me hanging around," said Narcissa as her grandson looked flustered at her. They were standing outside of Gringotts Wizarding Bank.

"But—"

"You'll be fine. I coddled your father for too long. He always complained about it. We've spent almost every day of the summer break together. I'm not abandoning you, my dear."

"What kind of grandmother are you?" demanded Scorpius as his voice cracked. He said it with a rising intonation.

"A very loving one, who wants her grandchild to be able to be independent," answered Narcissa as she kissed his cheek and went off. "I'll see you at Fortescue Ice Cream Shop in three hours," she added.

For a split second, Scorpius thought of going after her, but he thought better of it and looked at the list. The first place he had to go was Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. He had shot up a few inches over the course of the summer and even Madam Malkin's charms on his robes wouldn't be enough to stretch all of his clothes out. He trudged there first because it clothes were easier to carry.

After buying some clothes, including several undershirts, Scorpius moved on to the Apothecary to get some supplies. Following that, he stopped at the some owls at Magical Menagerie. His father told him last year that he would get him an owl when he was thirteen. Scorpius saw a lovely grey owl who hooted at him. Did he have enough money left on hand to get an owl and his textbooks? "I'll be back," he told the owl. She hooted at him.

He quickly went to the bookshop, Flourish and Blotts. Ron and Hermoine Weasley with Rose and Hugo were in there. Scorpius hadn't noticed them and went about hunting down his Muggle Studies textbook first. Shortly after his arrival the Potters came in.

Lily Potter was chasing after her oldest brother who had taken her hair clip while they were outside. "Give it back, James!" Scorpius heard the sound of her voice and immediately went deeper into the store.

"Don't run in the store!" shouted Ginny. Al spotted his cousins and went to go join them.

"Hello Harry. Ginny," greeted the book seller.

Harry grinned, "Hello. Sorry for the mess."

James had raced through the maze of books and shelves with Lily hot on his heels. Scorpius was looking at different Herbology books before picking up the one that Professor Longbottom had assigned. He had made good time while the Potters were running around the store. He was down to the last book. Scorpius picked up the book just as James ran by him. It was at this point did Scorpius get up to go and pay, but he ended up colliding with Lily. With her momentum and catching him by surprise, Scorpius fell hard on a stack of books. Lily heard him along with the rest of the store exclaim, "OW!" She didn't realize who it was until he got up. "Watch where you're going!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to—" apologized Lily. "Let me help you."

"It's fine," said Scorpius gruffly as he gathered his books. He grabbed the bags from the other stores. "My fault entirely. How stupid of me for getting in your way," he drawled sounding unintentionally sardonic.

Lily's face was as red as a tomato. She was still holding his Herbology book as the rest of her family along with onlookers watched them. She noticed that he was taller now between her brothers' heights. "Do you mind? I've got to pay for my books, so I can get an owl," he told her. Lily placed the book on top of the stack. "Thanks."

Harry and Ron saw Scorpius walk by them. He placed the books on the counter and most people noticed that he was alone. Scorpius settled the bill and thanked the clerk before leaving. He didn't look at anyone else.

Scorpius picked up his books and his bags and walked out. James peeked from around a corner, catching Ginny's disapproving look. He went over to Lily. "Sorry," he said as he returned her hair clip.

Lily didn't know what to say. She felt stupid. Harry came up to her. "Lily, are you all right?" he asked. It was never good when she kept quiet like that for too long.

Ginny scolded James, "You're going to be a fourth year. You should know better than to be running around like that."

"That was really embarrassing!" declared Lily suddenly.

James rolled his eyes. "It's not like he would have done anything. He was by himself as always. He didn't even really sound that mad." He glanced at his parents, "Are you sure he's a Malfoy?"

Harry used a tone that he rarely used. "Don't give him a hard time," he said sternly. "Now, let's get your books so we can go and finish up."

***

Narcissa looked up from her _Daily Prophet_ to see Scorpius return. He had a smile on his face along with bags in one hand and a cage with a grey owl in the other. She beamed at him. She had been worried the entire time she had waited for him.

"How did it go?" she asked as she set down her paper.

"I got everything on the list," replied Scorpius. "And Artemis, but she wasn't on the list." The owl matched Scorpius' eyes. She hooted at Narcissa as Scorpius slipped in an owl treat for her. "Hope you don't mind."

"No, not at all," said Narcissa.

"My dad was going to get me one this year anyway," said Scorpius.

Neither of them saw Lucius who had gone to Knockturn Alley for business. He hadn't approached them. Instead, he scowled at their general direction. His wife obviously wasn't firm enough with their grandson. Not only did she side with him, but she allowed him to take Muggle Studies.

Lucius had sent a strongly worded letter to the Headmistress after he had dispatched the now infamous howler to Scorpius. McGonagall sent a letter back saying that she fully supported Scorpius' class selection and that he would find the course enriching. Lucius was resolved to step in and confront his grandson directly.

He would have to wait. His wife kept watch over Scorpius, and Lucius hadn't known that they had separated for three hours. He was already fighting his wife tooth and nail. Narcissa had called a meeting with their lawyers right away after finding out about the howler and warned him to stay away from Scorpius.

The last thing that Lucius wanted on top of everything else that everyone was saying about them was that they be branded Muggle lovers because of his grandson. He would have to talk to him where he knew Narcissa wouldn't interfere.

***

On September 1st, families went to go see their offspring off at Platform 9 ¾. Scorpius was seen off by his grandmother and his aunt at first. Almost all of the Weasleys and Potters were out in full force. Teddy was with them until joining Scorpius and their grandmothers. Some of the people at the station were stared at Scorpius, who slouched a bit. His grandmother said to him, "Straighten up, Scorpius, it's not good for you posture."

Scorpius sighed and squared his shoulders. He had no idea that some of the stares he was getting were from girls. Teddy came up to them, "Are you ready, Scorpius?"

"Sure," nodded Scorpius.

"I want you to enjoy your school term," said Narcissa. "Try not to get into any trouble."

"I'll write you," promised Scorpius.

Narcissa said, "I'll see you on the holidays."

Scorpius nodded as he swallowed hard. "Yeah, I'll see you for Christmas," he said. He embraced her one more time. He said goodbye to Andromeda and Teddy before he got on the train.

This time he got to a compartment that was empty. Then more students came on board. Luckily, the kids that came to the compartment were first years. He didn't talk to them. Instead, he read Agatha Christie's _Murder on the Orient Express._ Teddy had handed it to him with a note.

Time flew by as he read the book. The train stopped and they disembarked. Scorpius ended up joining some of the Slytherins on the carriage ride to the castle. They didn't know what to make of him as he continued to read the Muggle book. Some of them were warned by their parents not to associate with him and to avoid him least the his Muggle fondness was catching.

Scorpius lagged behind the other students as he continued to read. He wasn't prepared for what happened next. "What do you think you're doing?" demanded a very sharp voice.

Scorpius stopped in his tracks, recognizing the voice instantly, as he lowered his book. He was toe to toe with his grandfather. "Reading a book," he replied.

Lucius was fuming as he snatched the book out of Scorpius' hands. He read the title and then waved it in front of him. "It is bad enough that you have ruined yourself and this family, but now you have added to it by taking Muggle Studies?"

Instinctively, Scorpius backed up from him. He didn't even have his hand on his wand. "What? You don't have a mouth now that you don't have any Aurors or your grandmother to back you up?" demanded Lucius.

Scorpius probably should have just stayed quiet, but he didn't. "You don't own me. I can do what I want. You're just mad because you're not getting your way! You're not happy unless you're controlling everything!"

Lucius's hand moved quickly. Scorpius was just about to close his eyes because he thought his grandfather was going to draw his wand and finish him off, but he felt his grandfather seize his arm. He gripped it tightly and he was too strong for Scorpius to break free. Lucius shook with anger. "You are a foolish child! You have no idea the sacrifice your father made for you!"

"Let go of me!" screamed Scorpius at the top of his lungs. Then something odd happened, a surge of power came out of no where, causing Lucius to suddenly release his grandson. Scorpius fell on the ground.

"What is going on here?" asked Profesor Longbottom. He had his wand drawn and then he pointed it straight at Lucius Malfoy. "I think it's time you leave, Mr. Malfoy. You've over stayed your welcome."

Lucius looked like he would have drawn his wand, but Professor Longbottom was more than a match for him. He glared at the former Auror and turned to Scorpius who was still on the ground. "Pathetic," he muttered. He threw a look that could have killed at Scorpius. "I will make sure that your grandmother will not see a knut from me. We're not done yet, Scorpius."

Professor Longbottom trained his wand on Lucius. "Go now," he said harshly. "Before I do something to you." His wand lit up.

Lucius straightened his robes and stalked off without looking back. Profesor Longbottom dashed over to Scorpius who was still on the ground. "Are you all right?" asked the Herbology professor with concern lighting his eyes.

"I think so," answered Scorpius. It occurred to him that Professor Longbottom normally did the sorting and he wasn't doing it.

"I came here because I heard your grandfather was meeting with the Headmistress," said Professor Longbottom as if reading Scorpius' mind. "I was told by her to come and get you. I suppose I was a bit late. My apologizes. Did he hurt you?"

"No, I don't think so," replied Scorpius.

Professor Longbottom nodded and said, "We need to talk. Meet me later at the DADA classroom after dinner."

"Why?"

"I'll explain then. We can't miss dinner."

Scorpius wasn't sure why but he trusted Professor Longbottom over a lot of people. He didn't even trust Harry Potter and his Aurors, except for Teddy. He walked along side Professor Longbottom into the warmth of the Great Hall.

* * *

Author's Note: Scorpius has had a lot of things happen to him in this chapter. Neville has something important to tell Scorpius in the next chapter. As for Lily, I think she's just plain cute. I wanted their real first meeting to have something memorable in it. I know what people are thinking: thank goodness I finally put in a scene between Scorpius and Lily.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	12. Part 12: DADA Classroom

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Twelve: DADA Classroom

The sorting was just about done when Scorpius joined the Slytherin table and Professor Longbottom made it to the faculty table. It was the professor that most people had noticed was absent during the bulk of the sorting. Scorpius was able to slip into the Slytherin table. He soon realized that he was persona non grata among his own house. Some of them saw him, but quickly turned a blind eye. Not that it bothered Scorpius because this meant that he'd at least be left alone.

He failed to see that Lily was watching him at the Gryffindor table. She was probably the only one outside of Slytherin who noticed that he had come in later with Professor Longbottom. She had seen him earlier deeply engaged in a book. She was just freshly sorted into Gryffindor along with her cousins Roxanne and Hugo Weasley.

Scorpius went straight to the DADA classroom as soon as the Headmistress dismissed the students for the night. He had no idea why Professor Longbottom had told him to meet him there instead of his office or one of the greenhouses. He was all prepared for some sort of lecture.

Scorpius turned the knob on the DADA classroom and walked. It was dark. "_Stupefy,_" was all he heard before he hit the floor.

When Scorpius came to, the lights were on and Professor Longbottom was leaning against the teacher's desk. "What the Hell was that?!" exclaimed Scorpius as he lifted his head. "Are you mad?"

The head of Gryffindor crossed his arms over his chest. He had his wand in his hand. "I doubt your father would have been caught off like that," said Professor Longbottom. "I should know. I was a target of his hexes when we were students here together."

Scorpius knew that the professor was the same age as his father, but he didn't know that they had interacted directly. Scorpius' father did tell him that he was a horrible prat at school and to refrain from following in his footsteps. His father was ashamed of the boy he once had been.

Professor Longbottom helped him up. It was the second time in what had been an overly long day. "I have something important to tell you," said the professor.

"What, Sir?" asked Scorpius still smarting from the stunning spell.

"Your father sent me a letter last December to meet with him at the Leaky Cauldron. He was asking to come as your teacher, so I couldn't refuse. Your mother was with him."

"Last December," echoed Scorpius.

Professor Longbottom nodded as he went on, "He was troubled by something. He wouldn't say by what. He knew that something bad was coming. He made a request of me."

Scorpius knew that there was something wrong. His parents were talking about it deep into the night before they had died, but he hadn't heard a word. His father hardly asked for any favors from anyone. Scorpius looked at Professor Longbottom.

'He asked if anything should happen to him or your mother that I would protect and watch over you. He was serious. Very serious. He wanted an answer right away. I asked him why he would ask me. We weren't friends in school."

Scorpius was numb as Professor Longbottom looked at him. He smiled a bit. It was a sad smile as he recalled a bittersweet memory. "Draco begrudgingly admitted that he couldn't think of anyone he trusted more to look out for you other than me. He said that he knew that I was a fair and honorable person and it didn't hurt that I used to be an Auror. He needed someone who he knew would keep his word. I tried to tell him that he was being overly cautious and that nothing was after him. He should have gone to the Aurors if there was someone after him."

"He knew that he was going to die," whispered Scorpius as he swallowed hard, looking away from the professor.

Professor Longbottom nodded. "He told me that if I was right, then I wouldn't be obliged to do anything. He got me there. He cast an Unbreakable Vow. Your mother was the bonder."

Scorpius wiped his face. How hard it must have been for his father to ask anyone to have to protect him, knowing that he wouldn't be there to do it himself. It shouldn't have surprised Scorpius at all. His father spent his last breath protecting him. "So, stunning me is your idea of watching out for me?" he asked the professor.

"No," laughed Professor Longbottom unable to hold back a chuckle.

"Then why?'

"Because I have had a chance to review your marks from last year, while you're doing fine or adequate in most of your classes, you've all but failed your Defense Against the Dark Arts class." Scorpius whipped his head up at him with his jaw dropped. He closed his mouth. The professor concluded, "And after what I just saw with your grandfather, I'm a little concerned."

Scorpius groaned, "Why is everyone on me about my classes?"

"I'm not everyone and I would be negligent if I allowed you to fail a course that I am certain you can pass."

"Professor Larkin is prejudice against me," Scorpius told Professor Longbottom. "He hates me because I'm a Malfoy. He zeroes in on all of my mistakes while people like Weasley and Potter can get away with chatting in class."

Professor Longbottom couldn't disagree with Scorpius' assessment of Larkin. Professor Longbottom had heard Larkin say that Scorpius was rude and insolent, but none of the other teachers, except for Tate would agree with him. On the contrary, the other teachers found Scorpius too quiet and most saw that he had the potential for more. It was almost maddening to watch him squander it. An idea formulated in Professor Longbottom's mind earlier in the summer. "I'll make a deal with you," he offered.

"What kind of deal?" asked Scorpius, eyeing him suspiciously.

"I will tutor you in DADA and we'll start fresh," replied Professor Longbottom.

"You're head of Gryffindor and I'm in Slytherin. Do you know how that looks?" asked Scorpius.

Professor Longbottom merely smiled. "We'll just call it detention. Our reputations will be better for it. Everyone will think I'm a bastard and you'll look like a brat."

"What about Larkin's class?"

"I don't think there's much either of us can do about him. I'm all right with you failing his class if you agree to take the tutoring sessions with me. I have to warn you though I will not go easy on you. You're already behind and we have to do a lot of work. You give me everything you've got and I'll be happy."

Scorpius had to admit that he hated feeling helpless when his grandfather had grabbed him. He knew that his arm was probably already bruising. He looked at the man whom his father had elected to protect him from harm. Scorpius mutely nodded. Professor Longbottom extended his hand to Scorpius. They shook hands.

"You're dismissed for now," said Professor Longbottom. "I'll let you know when the first session is."

"Yes, Professor Longbottom," said Scorpius as he got up to leave. Remembering, something else, he asked, "Does my grandmother have to know that he was here?"

"Did you want her to know?"

"I'd rather not make her worry."

Professor Longbottom could easily relate to that. "You don't have to worry about it, too. Now go."

Scorpius grinned and said, "Thank you, Professor Longbottom. Good night."

"Good night, Scorpius."

***

Scorpius' tutoring in DADA went as Professor Longbottom had promised. It wasn't unusual for Scorpius to return to the Slytherin dorms exhausted afterwards. People were didn't really notice how frequent Scorpius' "detentions" with Professor Longbottom because there were no house points taken off.

Not that it made any difference to Scorpius' house. They collectively shunned him. He even stopped attending the Quidditch games, taking the time to practice his violin and DADA spells. His absence was hardly noticeable and it was best that he didn't stick around much. Scorpius also decided that he wouldn't help his house earn any points and instead he was going to prevent them from winning the house cup. He was going to do it in ways that weren't easily spotted.

Before in class, when called upon, Scorpius would give ready answers. Now he would answer that he didn't know. There were only two classes where Scorpius didn't do this: Herbology and Muggle Studies. Professor Longbottom would force him to answer, and Scorpius wanted to do well in Muggle Studies.

He was hardly interesting anymore to the other students who had since moved on because he wouldn't say anything about his parents. At least to the bulk of the male students, it was decided that he was dull and boring. It couldn't be denied that Scorpius was attracting some female attention. He was mysterious and aloof. While he was too weird for the girls in Slytherin, he was a fascination to the girls of the other houses.

Scorpius was irritated by the giggles of girls he'd walk by. He just didn't understand them. He had a lot on his mind, feeling weight on his shoulders. It was hard to be normal when Scorpius knew that he wasn't.

The peace wouldn't last for long. Things built up quickly as the newspapers and the gossip rags were a buzz with the latest proceedings from the Malfoy's growing contentious divorce, and Rita Skeeter was leading the charge. Requests for interviews came to Scorpius and he'd burn them without opening them. The divorce was getting nasty as Lucius hid assets and Narcissa tightened her claim on half of everything. The only thing that they didn't fight over was who had sole custody of Scorpius. He was grateful not to be in the middle of the fray. Things escalated when allegations of infidelity surfaced on both sides, which only made things worse.

The breakdown of one of wizarding societies' oldest and purest families was simply too tantalizing to not talk about. Scorpius tried to carry himself with dignity and ignore the chattering, treating it as white noise. He devoted himself to his DADA work, and the change was noticeable to Professor Longbottom. After a grueling session, Scorpius ended up telling him about the divorce and how he felt about it. Professor Longbottom listened patiently without interrupting him. It was so rare that his student would talk about anything other than the lesson at hand.

"Why can't he just stop doing this to her?" asked Scorpius out loud with frustration.

Professor Longbottom with sympathy answered, "Your grandparents aren't just fighting over property and money. It runs deep than that."

"My grandfather is merciless," muttered Scorpius as he took a seat on a stool. The tutoring sessions happened in one of the greenhouses. "He's just going to drag it out to make it harder for her. Now all this stuff about them cheating on each other. My grandmother would never cheat on him." He sighed, looking down at his hands. "I wonder what my father would have said."

Professor Longbottom knew that Scorpius was blaming himself for a lot of things. He said, "From what I can tell, when parents lose a child, it can either make or break them. If a marriage was solid to begin with, then it makes them stronger. But if a marriage is already weak, then it will be shattered completely."

"You never asked why my grandfather is so angry at me, Professor."

Professor Longbottom sighed, "It wasn't my place to ask. You'd tell me when you were ready."

Scorpius closed his eyes. "You already know that it wasn't an accident."

That was the story that most people knew. Sure, some were saying that it was a cover up. No details were released because it was still an ongoing investigation. Now Neville Longbottom could have asked for details from the Aurors, but he chose to let Scorpius tell him.

"We were on the beach," said Scorpius. "It was Christmas. It happened all so fast. I heard my mother screaming, telling my dad to get me out. I was the first one who was hit. I was bleeding." He shivered as he went back to that cold day. "My dad got to me, but I was already too weak to move. He started yelling. He was begging. He said, 'No please, not my son. It's me you want. Not my son.'"

Professor Longbottom's eyes widened. Scorpius closed his eyes as he continued, "There was blood. Lots of blood. I was bleeding to death. It was almost an hour before we were found."

"Where were you hit?" inquired Professor Longbottom.

Scorpius pulled his shirt up. The scar that was less than a year old looked like a star burst. The Muggles had thought it was a bullet wound. "I lost so much blood. The Muggles treated me and they had to give me a blood transfusion. If they hadn't, I would have died. My heart stopped and they got it beating again." He yanked his shirt back down.

"So that's why you decided to take Muggle Studies?"

Scorpius nodded. "The nurses stayed with me around the clock and the doctor was kind. I never even got the chance to thank them properly." He looked at the Professor. The last moment of his father's life was something that Scorpius had replayed in his memory over and over again. It haunted his dreams. "My dad was on top of me," he whispered. "At the end, he barely had any strength left. He managed not to lie on top of me. He saw how scared I was." He touched his cheek. "He told me not to be afraid and that he needed me to be brave. Sometimes I can feel his last breath."

Professor Longbottom mused over what Scorpius had said. "Now that makes sense. On the first night, when your grandfather grabbed you, I didn't do anything. Do you remember how your grandfather looked like a hex had hit him?"

"I thought you did do a hex," replied Scorpius, shaking his head.

The professor shook his head and explained, "I was going to, but he let you go. No, something else happened." He got up and went to the bookshelf he had in the greenhouse. Professor Longbottom had three sets of books that he referenced: one in his office, one in the green house, and one at home in the Leaky Cauldron. He picked up something unexpected. It was a journal. He opened it and leafed through it. "I'm in the process of writing a book about DADA techniques," he revealed.

"I couldn't even get to my wand," said Scorpius as he replayed in his mind his last encounter with his grandfather.

"You couldn't and back then, you weren't prepared at all to defend yourself," said Professor Longbottom as he offered the journal to Scorpius. "What happened was a protective spell." Scorpius skimmed the page. "Old magic without incantations or use of a wand is magic in its rawest, most powerful form. Your father died protecting you and when he did, he imparted a very powerful spell. And so, when your grandfather intended to harm you, the spell activated. It's probably the one of the three reasons why you're alive now."

Scorpius handed the journal back to the professor and swallowed. "What's the other reason?" he asked. He could only count two: his father and the spell.

"You," replied Professor Longbottom. "You have an amazing strength of will, Scorpius."

"There are no real accounts of anyone else having this spell on them. How do I know you're not just saying this to make me feel better, Professor?"

"The most famous account of this spell is one that Lily Potter had cast when Voldemort killed her while she was defending her son. Without it, Harry Potter wouldn't have lived long enough to defeat Voldemort."

Scorpius almost sighed at the mention of the famous Auror. "I'm not anything special like him. There's no grand prophecy about me. I come from a family of Death Eaters and overall long time Muggle haters. People hate me because of my name. I want people to give me a proper chance and not because of what happened to my parents. Why can't people be more like you?"

"Like me?" asked Professor Longbottom in a confused voice.

"You gave me a chance my first year. You didn't try to fail me like Professor Tate. You gave me an equal chance like you did with all of the students. I don't want people suddenly being nice to me because they feel sorry for me."

Professor Longbottom gave him a lopsided grin. "I totally understand," he said.

"Maybe, they'll use your book for the DADA class," said Scorpius.

"I'm not so sure about that," chuckled the professor.

* * *

Author's Note: The chapter will be more lighthearted this one. Scorpius has got his share of problems. The last thing he needs is one more complication. Or perhaps, he needs a more welcoming distraction.

As for the ages of the children in the story, Albus, Rose, and Scorpius were established in the epilogue as being eleven years old while Hugo and Lily are nine. Fred and Roxanne's ages are never revealed, so it's not part of canon. It just made sense to for me to put them in the same years as their cousins. James is only a year older than Albus because when the latter is discussing how many letters he'd get from their parents, they told him that they wrote James three times a week. So, I determined that James is only a year older. When my story opened, Scorpius is in his second year of Hogwarts, putting James in his third. For my story, Scorpius' birthday falls on Christmas, so he'd be one of the "older" kids in his year.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	13. Part 13: The Lake Side

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Thirteen: The Lake Side

Here was the breakdown of the Weasleys' grandchildren, for anyone not paying attention like Scorpius: Dominique Weasley was a sixth year prefect; Molly Weasley was a fifth year prefect; James Potter, Louis Weasley, and Lucy Weasley were fifth years; Albus Potter, Fred Weasley and Rose Weasley were third years; Lily Potter, Hugo Weasley, and Roxanne Weasley were first years. They were all in Gryffindor.

Lily for the most part enjoyed having so many cousins around. Sure, James and Fred unrelentingly teased her about her lack of height, and Rose was bossy from time to time, but Lily couldn't imagine going through school any other way. However, sometimes, Lily grew tired of being around so many people all of the time. As much as she loved her family, Lily wanted some space from them.

On a weekend, when her older brothers and cousins went off to Hogsmeade, Lily left Hugo and Roxy while they played wizards' chess to be by herself for a while. Lily, like her mother, liked to play Quidditch. The rules about broomsticks and first years were relaxed a bit over the last twenty years. She went off to go outside with her broomstick when she first heard the music.

Someone was listening to music. It was beautiful. Lily followed the sound of notes outside of the lake. She was awestruck when she saw that it was Scorpius Malfoy and his violin. He played with his eyes closed and without music sheets.

Scorpius stopped playing when he heard a noise. He turned and saw Lily. She had dropped her broomstick. She looked more surprised than he did and she was the one who sneaking up on him. She hastily picked up her broomstick. "Nice broomstick," he said.

"It was James'," said Lily nervously.

Scorpius lowered his bow and violin. This was awkward. He had very little interaction with other students outside of class. He didn't want to be rude. He could almost hear his mother's voice telling the word, "Manners."

Lily filled the overly long silence, "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. I just heard the music. It was amazing. I didn't know anyone who can play." This was the first time she had ever seen him up close.

Obviously, she already knew that he was taller than her. His hair was blond with some honeyed highlights in it. His eyes were gray like the sky during a storm. He was left handed. All of these details, Lily was committing to memory.

"Thanks," he said. His voice was soft and baritone. From time to time, his voice still cracked, but that was going away.

"Who taught you how to play?"

"My mum," he replied. Scorpius stooped down and placed the violin into the case with care.

Lily was taken back. She didn't mean to bring up his parents. Instead Scorpius said, "I suppose we're just practicing the things that our mothers are known for." He gave her the smallest hint of a smile. It made Lily feel warm. "I was finishing up anyway. I've got detention with Longbottom. See you around, Potter." He picked up his violin case and straightened up.

"Yeah, see you around," said Lily as she watched him go up to the castle.

She didn't breathe easier until he had disappeared from her sight. She proceeded to the field to practice her flying. She could still hear the music.

***

The weather chilled and the air became crispy. Scorpius' mood became more and more morose as the month of December drew closer. He was having a hard time concentrating in class and was even more short tempered with his housemates than usual. He would ordinarily ignore whatever they had to say about things, but he was so easily irritated.

During dinner, Rodney Perkins, Timothy Nott, and Camilla Flint were in deep discussion about some of the other students. The most vocal of them was Timothy Nott. He loudly complained, "Damn Mudbloods ruin everything. Did you hear that McGonagall's thinking of starting a Muggle Relations class?"

"Yeah, I bet some Mudblood came up with that ruddy idea," agreed Perkins.

"Muggle Relations?" Flint balked at the idea. "What on Earth does that mean?"

Nott raised an eyebrow. "Well, I've seen some Muggles I wouldn't mind having some 'relations' with."

"You're disgusting!" exclaimed Flint. "No way I'd let one near me! There's billions of them. They breed like rats."

"Did it ever occur to anyone that the reason why there's so few of us is because not only did we lie about the Muggles in our families, but that there's too much inbreeding going on?" suggested Scorpius.

The three fifth years glared at him. "Well, well, well. The freak speaks," remarked Nott.

Scorpius drawled, "Clever, did you come up with that one all by yourself?"

"You are an embarrassment to purebloods everywhere, but what could I expect from a Malfoy?" snarled Nott.

"If being a pureblood means being like you lot, then I'd rather take my chances with the Muggles. They're more hospitable than you lot."

"You are a freak and a blood traitor!" declared Flint so loudly that people who weren't paying attention to their discussion before were now paying attention. "How low can you go?! First you keep getting yourself in detention and you take Muggle Studies. Now you're insulting your own kind."

"HA!" laughed Scorpius. "I'll take that as a compliment any day."

Nott had had enough and drew his wand. Scorpius shrank back a bit, but he knew that Nott would be a fool to attempt anything in front of witnesses. Scorpius knew he had a problem on his hands and he probably should have shut up earlier. The other problem that he had was that he was getting stares from the other students.

The Headmistress had watched the exchange and Scorpius could swear she had the slightest hint of a smirk on her face. He decided not to leave the Great Hall. He wasn't about to be accused of being a coward who ran away from a possible fight. The three fifth years saw that everyone was looking at them and Nott mouthed to Scorpius, "I'll get you later. You're dead."

The furthest away table from Slytherin was the Gryffindors'. They only heard the tail end of the discussion where Flint declared Scoprius a blood traitor and his retort to her. Lily saw the start of the conversation. She always sat on the opposite side of her brother, James. She sneaked discreet glances at Scorpius throughout most of the meals they took. She could see Scoprius from her seat. He always sat at the end of the Slytherin table, closest to the exit, and away from the others.

She saw how he normally would just read a book or write something down rather than interact with his housemates. Scorpius, who was used to people watching his every move at this point, ignored everyone. Lily thought it was sad that he was always alone and didn't have any friends. He didn't seem at all bothered by it. To Lily, that was the saddest thing of all. It was as if Scorpius had resigned himself to be alone.

At the end of dinner, Scoprius decided that he would go to the owlery rather than return straight to the dorms as he usually did. He had to write a letter to his grandmother and reassure her that he was fine. When he got to the owlery, Artemis immediately recognized his whistle to her and she swooped down landing on his shoulder.

"Let's go to the window," he told her as she hooted.

Scorpius wrote the letter with Artemis watching him. She seemed to be prodding him to write a longer letter. He smiled a bit and gave her an owl treat for her encouragement. When he finished the letter, Artemis obligingly stuck out her left leg and Scorpius attached the letter to her. "Go to my grandmother," he ordered her. She gave him one last hoot and took off.

He started the long trek down from the owlery to the Slytherin dorms in the dungeons. He was in such a hurry to get away that he ran into someone. Startled he pulled back and realized who he had collided into. "Excuse me," he said.

Lily Luna Potter looked at him. She was a good head shorter than him, which he hadn't really paid attention to before. Her red hair was pulled into a ponytail and her cheeks were red like her hair. She stood there speechlessly gaping at him for longer than necessary. "Watch where you're going Potter, you could hurt yourself," warned Scorpius, but his tone was surprisingly soft. He swallowed and sidestepped her. She wordlessly turned and watched as him as he walked away.

Lily had gone up to the owlery to send a letter to her parents. It was mere coincidence that she had run into Scorpius. She felt like she had been stupefied. She just stood there like a mute idiot. She was incapable of human speech whenever he was around. The only time she was able to really talk to him was by the lake and even then she sounded like a blubbering moron. Why was she so stupid around him?

***

Scorpius certainly expected something as he made his way back to the dorms. He had his wand in his hand this time around in his pocket, knowing better than to just walk in blind. Sure enough, Nott proved to be predictable because just as Scorpius entered the dorms, he was slammed against the wall.

"You think you're so high and might, Malfoy!" spat Nott angrily.

The rest of the Slytherins gathered around. Obviously, Scorpius had taken his sweet time a trifle bit too long because they had a plan of what they were going to. Scorpius adjusted to the pain very quickly because this was nothing compared to the number of times that Professor Longbottom had knocked him to the floor the last couple of weeks. Nott had Scorpius by the collar. "I'm not the one who thinks that. It's you, Nott," retorted Scorpius. "Now get your bloody hands off me." He said it in a deliberately calm voice.

"What are you going to do? Run to your mummy and your daddy?" taunted Nott. Scorpius' mouth twisted into a scowl at that rib. Nott laughed, "That's right. You can't. Your parents are dead. And if you don't shut the Hell up, you'll join them."

Scorpius slowly let go of his wand. He did something unexpected, especially in a house known for purebloods. He forcefully pushed Nott's hands off his collar and kneed him in the stomach. Nott crumpled to the floor like a rag doll. At this all Hell broke loose as his housemates quite suddenly drew the wands at him.

"Come on, who wants to hit the poor orphan first!" goaded Scorpius in roar. "What are you waiting for?!" He didn't even reach for his wand.

Perkins threw the first hex and that started a barge of hexes and curses. The ensuing melee that followed was intense, shaking the very foundation of the school. It was so bad that the new head of house, Andalucía Borgins, along with the other heads of house and the Headmistress came down to see the ruckus.

What they found was destruction. Almost everyone ended up cover in warts, bruises, welts, boils and other unidentified spores of some sort. Some were knocked out cold. The common room was a wreck with the tapestries on the floor, the carpet burnt, and feathers from the chairs were everywhere. One of the tables was reduced to ashes and another one was split into two. The only one who was left standing amidst all of it was Scorpius Malfoy. He looked shaken as he stared at the heads of house and the headmistress wide eyed.

"Mr. Malfoy, what is the meaning of this?" asked the Headmistress in a stern voice.

Scorpius swallowed as he answered, "I was at the owlery. It was like this when I got here."

The Headmistress gave him a long, hard stare. He willed himself to not wither under her gaze. "Your wand," she ordered.

Scorpius sighed and produced it from his pocket. Professor McGonagall said, "_Priori Incantatem_." She looked at Professor Flitwick.

The Charms professor confirmed, "That's the Cheering Charm from class." It was the last class that Scorpius had been in for the day.

The Headmistress nodded and turned her attention to the students. "The lot of you have a lot of questions to answer. This is an utter disgrace. I have never before seen an entire house duel in such a fashion."

"It was Malfoy's fault!" exclaimed Flint as she pointed her finger at him. "He's lying. He was here!"

"As far as I can tell, Mr. Malfoy hasn't cast any spells beyond his last class of the day," said Professor McGonagall. "You are covered in warts, Miss Flint."

"He didn't even use his wand!" explained Flint.

At this point, the Headmistress ordered, "All of you are injured and are able to stand and walk, please proceed to the infirmary and if you can help your fellow housemates. The rest of you prepare for questioning."

Scorpius saw Professor Longbottom. Their eyes met and he knew that his professor knew that he had been lying. The normally jovial professor gave him a harsh look that others didn't see. It took hours for the professors to figure out what exactly happened, but someone had to take the blame for it.

The first years cracked under the pressure and blamed Timothy Nott. Most of the people agreed that he had started it, even though he had never thrown a single curse or hex. He was knocked out during the fight. The story that came out was that Perkins and Nott got into a fight. The accounts were all confusing, but one thing was clear some of them were now afraid of Scorpius. The only person who got the whole story outside of the witnesses and the parties involved with Professor Longbottom.

To say that Professor Longbottom wasn't amused was an understatement. Later that night, he was questioning Scorpius further. They did so in his office.

"Scorpius, what in heaven's name were you doing?" demanded Professor Longbottom angrily. "I know that during dinner you had a talk with Timothy Nott, Rodney Perkins, and Camilla Flint. It got pretty heated. I don't believe in coincidences. You lied right to the headmistress' face."

"They were saying some nasty things about Muggles," said Scorpius. "I was just trying to set the record straight is all."

"Like I said I don't believe in coincidences. You were in the common room. Why are the others afraid of you all of a sudden?"

Scorpius rolled his eyes. He shrugged and came clean. He told the professor the whole story and gave more details about the fight. "I didn't get hurt. The spells sort of just backfired on them."

"I didn't tell you about the protection over you just so you could test it out on your housemates," sighed Professor Longbottom.

"I wasn't testing it," protested Scorpius quietly.

"You did something utterly reckless and stupid. Your father didn't die just so you could play around with it," snapped Professor Longbottom sternly. His voice cut through Scorpius like a dagger. "What am I teaching you defense for if you're not going to use it?"

"I'm sorry," whispered Scorpius. He couldn't stand the disappointment in the professor's voice. He actually did look sorry. "I don't know why I did it."

Professor Longbottom cleared his throat as he softened a bit. "You didn't think you had anyone to back you up. Nor did you want anyone to do it. You must learn that it's not you against the rest of the world, Scorpius. I know that you feel like you're alone."

"It's kind of true."

"It's self isolation. I don't think I've ever seen you with any one outside of class. Perhaps, we should cut back on the sessions so you can get out more and make some friends."

"Please don't do that, sir," pleaded Scorpius. "You're right, but your sessions are the only things I look forward to in this place. I won't do anything else. I promise. Please." He hadn't realized how much the professor's approval mattered to him until that moment.

Professor Longbottom knew more than anyone what it was like to carry the weight of something almost as bad as what happened to Scorpius' parents. Scorpius wasn't like his father. His father used to take the smallest injury and use it to his advantage. Instead, Scorpius kept it all bottled up inside. It was partly the reason why Professor Longbottom cared for him. He didn't need an Unbreakable Vow for that. "We'll keep the sessions as they are, but I expect you to starts socializing."

"Socializing?"

"With other students, not other teachers," clarified Professor Longbottom.

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"Start small. Try to talk to the other students. Join a club."

"This 'talking' thing what are the chances of success?"

Professor Longbottom wanted to smack his forehead at this. The boy didn't think he was better than other people. The professor knew that it had to do with him growing up in an adult only household and probably had very little play with other children. "It's a start. That's all," he said. "Also, there are going to be points taken off Slytherin. Probably a hundred points at least. I hope you are satisfied." Scorpius blinked but said nothing. "You're dismissed. See in class."

"Good night, Professor Longbottom."

Scorpius returned to the dorms. He saw the disarray of the common room and went straight to his room. Most of his roommates were out of the room that night, spending it in the infirmary. Scorpius went to bed. It had been a long night.

* * *

Author's Note: Once again, Scorpius slips through another one. He's a slippery one. Some liberties were taken again. Lily is allowed a broomstick even though she is a first year. I decided to allow it for it so that the plot can be moved along. In the next chapter, we'll see if Scorpius comes out of his shell a bit more.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	14. Part 14: The Gryffindor Common Room

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Fourteen: The Gryffindor Common Room

Roxanne Weasley knew something that no one else knew. She knew that her cousin, Lily, was watching a certain boy across the Great Hall during every meal. Roxanne had heard from her cousins about how Scorpius Malfoy and Lily ran into each other at Flourish and Blotts. Oddly, Lily didn't tell the story herself. At first, Roxanne thought it was because Lily was afraid of Scorpius.

Roxanne heard her older cousins talk about boys they liked. Victoire and Teddy were an item and have been for a while. Dominique got her share of attention because of her Veela blood, but had a tendency to grow bored easily. Molly had a boyfriend last year, but they had broken up. Lucy was sort of seeing a boy in Ravenclaw. Rose was more interested in her books than she was in any boy. And now, Roxanne was almost certain that Lily had a crush on Scorpius.

Now being the daughter of George Weasley meant that Roxanne had a natural born mischievous streak a mile wide. This thing with Lily was simply too irresistible to pass up. Roxanne wasn't foolish enough to reveal this to their other cousins, who without a doubt would object to the very idea of Lily liking a Malfoy. She was sure that James would be the most vocal.

"Did you hear about last night?" said Louis. "The Slytherins had some kind of dueling party and practically blasted a hole in their common room."

"I was wondering why there were less of them," said Albus, noting that the Slytherin table was more empty than usual.

Rose said in a matter-of-fact tone, "Some of them are still in the infirmary. It was pretty mess from what people are saying."

"We all heard and felt it. It was like a re-enactment of the Battle of Hogwarts," pointed out Fred. "We felt it all the way up to the tower."

James laughed out loud. His laugh sounded like a bark. "It must have been pretty sweet to watch though. I wonder what started it."

"Don't know," chuckled Louis.

Roxanne said, "It looks like Malfoy was the only one who came out of it without a scratch. I wonder if he knows what happened." She gave Lily a sidelong glance to see her reaction. Lily was watching Scorpius at the time, but what Roxanne had said made her pay attention.

"Malfoy probably started the whole thing," said James. "But that's hard to believe. You heard what he said last night. He really pissed a lot of them off."

"But he's not the one in trouble," noted Al. "He's acting like nothing happened."

"If I had done something to get more than half of Slytherin in the infirmary, I'd be shouting it from the turrets," exclaimed James as he leaned back.

"I don't think he had anything to do with it," said Lily quietly. Roxanne looked at her.

Scorpius was writing a letter to his cousin. He was going to ask Teddy's advice about what Professor Longbottom had told him about last night. Scorpius didn't really have anyone else to talk to in the school other than the professors. Teddy would be the best person he could approach for advice. He had started a draft and grew frustrated with it immediately. He ripped it up and started another one.

Scorpius knew that he was smart. He could have done better in other classes, but elected not to stoop to grade grubbing. He found it distressing that he was lacking in basic socializing skills. He thought about his parents. They didn't really force him to socialize with other children. His father though had told him just as he started school that making some friends would make the experience more meaningful.

_"Scorpius, you don't want to be alone, do you?" asked Draco after hearing Scorpius complain about his first year._

_At twelve, Scorpius glared at his father. "None of them like me. It's because of you," he said._

_Draco frowned and said, "This is your chance to make people think differently of you. I told you that wasn't going to be easy. That's why we gave you the option of not going to Hogwarts."_

_"I don't want to go back there. They called me a Death Eater, Dad."_

_"Listen to me, Score, I'm not going to swoop in and rescue you because you can't handle a little name calling. People are going to say things like that. You know they would. You made a choice and you have to live with the consequences."_

His father wouldn't let him leave the school. Scorpius was forced to stay even though he hated it. Being called a Death Eater that first year stung. After a while, he just closed off from other people to avoid further injury. The only piece of advice that he had that made any sense to him was the one his mother gave him: a smile went a long way.

He finished up his letter to Teddy and smiled with some satisfaction. He folded it up and on cue the morning post came. Artemis came to Scorpius with a parcel from his grandmother. He opened it and it had some sweets in it. He shook his head and smiled again. Of course, she'd send him some. Scorpius gave Artemis some of his toast and ruffled her feathers absentmindedly until she was done. He attached the letter, telling her, "Please deliver this to Teddy Lupin. Thanks." Artemis nipped his finger and took off.

Scorpius wasn't a fan of sweets, so he ended up putting it back into his bag. He went off to the first class of the day, which was Charms with Professor Flitwick. Scorpius was one of the few Slytherins who survived last night's melee, which meant that he had to be paired up with someone else. Professor Filtwick broke up the trio of cousins, Rose, Al, and Fred. Fred and Rose worked as a pair, while Al and Scorpius ended up partnered.

"Sorry for this," said Scorpius as he moved his things to join Albus. "You probably wanted to work with your cousins."

Al shrugged a bit. "How does it feel to be the last person standing after last night?"

"Not good," admitted Scorpius. "Everything should be back to normal by next week. So, let's just make this as easy on ourselves as possible, Potter."

Al nodded, "Yeah, let's try to make it easy, Malfoy." Like everyone else, Al didn't know what to make of Scorpius. As far as he could tell, Scorpius was never outright nasty to anyone and Al's father did tell him to be nice to him.

They set to work on a new spell. Scorpius, having read the lessons many times over by then, had little trouble mastering the spell. He was able to help Al get it just as Rose and Fred caught up to them. Rose was very annoyed with Scorpius. At the end of the lesson, Scorpius went to put his things away to go to the next class and found the box of sweets. He offered them to Al, "Here, take it. I don't really like chocolate."

"Are you sure?" asked Al giving him a suspicious look.

"What? You think I'd poison you with chocolate frogs?"

"No, I just find it odd you don't like chocolate."

"I prefer my chocolate not as sweet. A little bitter, dark," said Scorpius. "My grandmother likes to send them to me, and I haven't got the heart to tell her not to. It's her way of sending her love." He spoke with a frank, assured voice that most children their age didn't use.

Al accepted the box. "It has other things in it," added Scorpius. "I'm sure that my grandmother put in some of her desserts." With that, Scorpius left for his next class.

Rose and Fred joined Al who was looking through the box. "What did he give you?" asked Fred.

"Sweets that his grandmother sent," replied Al as he opened a tin. It had fudge in it and it looked store bought, but it was definitely not. He took a piece of that and gingerly sampled it. His cousins looked like they were waiting to see if Al would collapse. Instead, he broke out into a smile. "This is good. Try some."

Fred took a piece while Rose looked at them like they had gone mad. "This is good! It's just as good as Gran's. Come on, Rose, try some."

Rose reluctantly tried it. She smiled. "I wouldn't tell Gran that these are just as good," she said. "And Malfoy didn't want it?"

"He said he doesn't like sweets," replied Al.

Fred laughed. "Now that just adds to the ball of weirdness that is Scorpius Malfoy."

***

Scorpius received Teddy's response the following day. He could tell that Teddy was amused by his questions. Teddy's advice was summed up in two words: be yourself. To Scorpius, that was almost like not getting any advice at all. It was too simplistic for Scorpius. Being himself was getting him no where.

Little did Scorpius know that Albus had disturbed the box of sweets to his cousins and to even his siblings. Albus didn't tell James where sweets came from and one taste of Mrs. Malfoy's fudge was enough to discourage any questions. The box was left in the common room for everyone to enjoy. Fred was the one who let his sister in on the secret.

In turn, Roxanne told Lily and Hugo. Their responses were predictable. Hugo made gagging noises. "I can't believe it was Malfoy!" he exclaimed between mock gags. "Do you reckon he's trying to poison us?"

Lily wasn't her usual bubbly self when it came to any mere mention of the odd Slytherin. There was no need for Roxanne to tell her that Albus got the sweets from Scorpius. Lily had seen him unpack it the previous morning. She had also caught him smiling as he opened it.

"Earth to Lily," called Roxanne with a grin. "Come in, Lily."

"What's wrong with you, Lil?" asked Hugo. He was truly his father's son, extremely dense to notice what was pretty obvious to Roxanne.

Roxanne wasn't about to clue Hugo in who would blab to his sister who would tell Albus and Fred. It would be only a matter of minutes before James found out from there. No, Roxanne didn't want to be the one to break that sort of news indirect or otherwise.

Lily shook her head, "There's nothing wrong with me. Malfoy's not a bad person. He's sad."

Hugo raised an eyebrow at his cousin. He said, "He probably is. My dad said his parents died on Christmas."

"His grandparents have declared war on each other, too," said Roxanne thoughtfully. "It's getting pretty nasty and Skeeter's giving a play by play like it's some kind of Quidditch match." Roxanne's tone contained little humor at the mention of the reporter.

"I didn't know you read Skeeter's articles," said Lily, unable to hide her disapproval.

"I don't, but the entire school's talking about it. Purebloods don't divorce," said Roxanne. "That's why people are so shocked."

Hugo said, "I'm surprise that Lucius Malfoy hasn't tried anything. My parents said he was a dark wizard. Probably still is. Malfoy Manor was used as You-Know-Who's headquarters during the war. That was the only time our parents were probably in the house."

"That was before we were born," pointed out Lily. "I don't think that Scorpius Malfoy is anything like his grandfather." She just couldn't imagine anyone who could play such beautiful music as a bad person.

"Life really is unfair because he's the one who's paying for bad karma that his family did," said Roxanne.

Hugo said, "You gotta figure that he's probably going to get a record for most detentions from Neville." He quickly amended, "I mean Professor Longbottom. He's the nicest professor around here, but Malfoy's getting detention with him twice, sometimes three times a week."

"Also on Saturdays," added Lily absentmindedly.

Roxanne asked, "How do you know that?"

"I—" started Lily, realizing she hadn't told anyone about the two separate times she had ran into Scorpius. "Al mentioned it," she lied feebly.

Even Hugo saw straight through Lily. They were even closer than Roxanne was to either of them. Their fathers were best friends, so they had spent even more time together. They were more like siblings than cousins. "Lily, anything that Al knows he'd tell my sister or James. He'd tell everyone." That last bit was an exaggeration.

Lily sighed, "Don't tell anyone, especially James." Hugo nodded right away. Roxanne playfully pretended to think about, and then nodded. "I saw him at the lake. He was playing a violin. He left as soon as he saw me, saying he had detention."

"Interesting," said Hugo musingly. "Maybe, he just said that to get away from you. Potters and Malfoy aren't meant to get along." He shrugged. Lily hadn't considered that. Roxanne punched Hugo in the arm, catching him by surprise. "OW! What was that for, Roxy?"

Ignoring him, Roxanne said to Lily, "Malfoy probably really had detention with Professor Longbottom."

Lily chewed on her bottom lip. She knew she wasn't the only girl who was watching Scorpius Malfoy. There was no reason for him to pay any attention to her, especially if there were other older, prettier girls who were better developed than her. At eleven, what chance did Lily have?

People noticed Lily because of her parents. Her father was the world famous hero of the wizarding world, and her mother was a former acclaimed Quidditch player and now a commentator and writer. Most people were in awe of her parents.

"Hey, Hugo, wanna play some class?" interrupted Rupert Finnegan.

"Sure," replied Hugo, leaving them.

Roxanne waited until Hugo was out of earshot before saying, "Let's go for a walk, Lily. You can tell me the whole story."

Lily nodded and they got up to leave common room. On the way out, they were intercepted by James. "Where are you two going?" he asked.

"Out for a walk and same girl talk," answered Roxanne. "Would you like to join us?"

James backed up and shook his head. "No, that's okay."

Lily covered her mouth to keep from giggling at her brother. Roxanne gave him a sweet smile before they left. As soon as they were out of the common room, they practically ran outside. When they got outside, well away from anyone, Roxanne urged, "Okay, now spill. What's the dish? Give me your exclusive."

Lily couldn't help but laugh at her cousin. "And you don't read Skeeter's rubbish," laughed Lily.

"No, really, tell me."

Lily ended up telling Roxanne everything. She told her about the lake side and gave more details. She even talked about running into Scorpius near the owlery. Roxanne listened and at the end, "You like him, Lily."

Lily shook her head. "No, I don't," she denied.

"Yes, you do. It's so obvious and you're lucky that no one else has noticed," insisted Roxanne. She could see that Lily wasn't sure herself. Roxanne prompted, "I could do a survey with Dom and Molly. Or I could write Victoire and ask her."

"No!" exclaimed Lily with horror. Her face was red.

"If you don't like him, then why are you getting so hot and bothered?" asked Roxanne innocently.

Lily sputtered, "Oh! You're like Uncle George!"

Roxanne collapsed into a fit of laughter. Lily frowned at her cousin. "A lot of help you are, Roxy."

"Wait, wait," giggled Roxanne as she tired to compose herself. Lily was getting ready to leave. "Okay, I'm sorry. But Lily, at least admit that you like him."

"I'm not sure," admitted Lily.

"I think we'll have to ask someone," said Roxanne.

"But who?" asked Lily. "You know there's a chance everyone will found out."

"Victoire. We could ask her. I know you don't want to ask anyone, Lily, but Victoire has more experience about this. And she won't tell anyone in the family about it."

"You're right," admitted Lily reluctantly. "We just have to make sure that she doesn't tell Teddy."

"Oh yeah," said Roxanne. "Poor you. It's like you've got three older brothers instead of just two."

Lily groaned, "Don't remind me."

* * *

Author's Note: One of the hardest things about a story is trying to get the characters in one space. It helps though that things were set up earlier. It's easier to get characters together if they already have a connection like the one that Teddy conveniently has with Scorpius. Once again, Lily is cute, but I did enjoy writing up Roxanne.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	15. Part 15: Gladrags

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Fifteen: Gladrags

One week before Christmas, Scorpius' mood only got worse. Professor Longbottom eased up the tutoring sessions, knowing that Scorpius was trying to cope with the upcoming anniversary of his parents' deaths. Scorpius was quieter and more withdrawn. Other students made plans for the holidays, while Scorpius was using off of his will power not to breakdown.

At Charms, Professor Flitwick rendered Scorpius and Albus' partnership permanent. Neither boy objected to this. During Charms, Albus and Scorpius got along well enough. However, as Christmas came, Albus noticed how Scorpius had become quiet. From time to time, he saw Scorpius placing his hand on his side as if he was in pain.

Scorpius had a lot to think about. His grandmother had written him, asking what he wanted to do for his birthday. He ended up with a box of Turkish delight and gave them to Albus. "Are you okay?" asked Albus. "You seem kind of distracted."

"I'm fine," replied Scorpius.

"It's all right," said Albus. "If you're not okay, you don't have to act like you are."

Scorpius didn't respond to Albus. He didn't know how to. He wasn't about to tell Albus something that he kept private. They weren't even really friends. Scorpius had no friends. Instead, Scorpius asked, "So what are you doing for Christmas, Potter?"

Albus was caught off guard. He had half-expected Scorpius to tell him to shut up. "Um...the usual go to my grandparents' house." Scorpius nodded as he listened. "What are you doing?"

Scorpius replied, "I don't know. I'll be with my grandmother."

"What about your grandfather?"

"No, I will not be seeing Lucius," said Scorpius harshly.

Albus gave Scorpius a look. "No one could blame you. What you did to his howler was pretty good."

Scorpius couldn't help but smirk a bit. "It was the only time in my life I've ever been able to shut Lucius up."

"Hey Malfoy," interrupted Fred. "Will you gran be making anymore sweets?"

"I'm not your candy mule, Weasley," retorted Scorpius. "Even grandmothers deserve a break."

"Not our gran," said Fred. "She has too much to do: sweaters to knit, decorating, and cooking meals."

Rose was still standoffish with Scorpius. She knew that he was smart. Time and again at other classes with him, he claimed not to know the answers. She had more classes with him than her cousins. At Arithmancy, Scorpius never showed any work but always so much and put in so much time, it was irritating that there was someone who by appearances put in very little effort and still got the right answers.

In Ancient Runes, Scoprius doodled rather than take notes. Rose got a perfect score on their last exam, but Scorpius was the only one who got the bonus question correct. Rose saw that he didn't show any work and if he had, he would have gotten the top score over her. Rose was almost positive that he was cheating. Why the teachers haven't caught Scorpius yet was beyond her?

"I have to go and finish my essay for Muggle Studies," announced Scorpius. That class and Herbology were the only two official classes that Scorpius exerted real effort in. Rose Weasley was aware that he was her competition in Herbology. He was the top student in Muggle Studies.

Scorpius went to the library to work on his paper on electricity. He knew one fact about electricity that most wizards didn't know. When Professor Chang started lecturing about it, Scorpius was extremely interested. As he wrote his essay, he rubbed his right hand over his chest, right where his heart was as he wrote with his left. He entitled the essay, "My First Encounter with Electricity." Professor Chang encouraged the students to write about any person accounts regarding Muggles.

As he wrote the essay, Scorpius thought about the upcoming Christmas. When he was done he knew exactly what he wanted to do for Christmas. He would ignore the fact that he was turning fourteen. All he had to do was get his grandmother to go along with it.

***

On the week of Christmas, Scorpius returned to his parents' house. It was his house, but he had hard time calling it his after his parents had died. His grandmother picked him up at the Leaky Cauldron and they went back to the house, where Teddy, Andromeda, and Victoire were waiting with dinner.

"Welcome home, mate," said Teddy as he tousled Scorpius' hair a bit.

"Hullo everyone," greeted Scorpius.

Victoire gave Scorpius a kiss on his cheek. "You're getting taller. Oh, the girls must go mad for you," she said.

Scorpius raised an eyebrow at her. Victoire laughed at him. Even his aunt and grandmother were smiling. "Not really," he said.

Teddy said, "Vic, he's having a hard enough time just making friends. Girls are too advanced for him."

"Shut it, Teddy," snapped Scorpius.

Narcissa folded her arms over her chest and said, "Don't be rude. Teddy's only trying to help."

"Sorry," mumbled Scorpius to Teddy.

"Dinner's ready," announced Andromeda. She had magicked the table to expand to accommodate all of them and the food. "Let's see. Victoire made the soup. I made the roast. All three of us made the sides. Narcissa made the dessert. While you boys get the hard job of just tucking it in."

The soup was a rich lobster bisque and Victoire blushed when Narcissa complimented her on it. Teddy and Scorpius talked about Hogwarts. Teddy was glad to hear that Albus and Scorpius were partners in Charms. Andromeda and Narcissa were discussing in all but vague details about Teddy and Victoire getting married. There was no proposal as of yet, and Victoire looked more terrified at the prospect than Teddy.

Teddy, in an attempt to discourage further talk of matrimony, changed the subject, "So Scorpius, any plans?"

"Grandmother, may I please withdraw 50,000 galleons from my account?" requested Scorpius.

Now was a good a time as any to ask. Victoire nearly gagged on the tart that they had for dessert. Teddy rubbed her back, but looked surprised. Andromeda dropped her fork on her plate. Narcissa calmly put her tea cup on the saucer.

"What for?" asked Narcissa. She wasn't angry, but curious. Even Scorpius' father would never have asked for that much money.

"Hear me out, please," pleaded Scorpius.

"I'm listening."

Scorpius took a deep breath and went on, "I want to go back to Cornwall. I need to go back." Narcissa's expression softened as he looked down, unable to look at her. "I want to convert the gold into Muggle currency to donate it to the hospital there. I never got to thank them properly for what they did. Then, I want to go back to the beach and visit them." Scorpius didn't say the word, "graves." He just couldn't say it. He had said it all so fast that he was out of breath. "Please. That's all I want. You can make it my birthday present, too."

"Look at me, Scorpius," ordered Narcissa gently. He looked up at her smiling face. "I think that is a fantastic idea. It's your day to celebrate however you wish. I should thank them as well."

Victoire, fully recovered from the near choking, offered, "My dad works for Gringotts. I'm sure he can arrange the conversion."

"I'll go with you to Cornwall, if you'd like," said Teddy. He glanced at Victoire and his grandmother. "It shouldn't take all day. I'll still make it to the Burrow."

Victoire nodded, "It's all right, Teddy. This is important to Scorpius. He needs to do this." Her eyes lit up with an idea, "Oh! Why don't you come over, too? There's going to be loads of people there anyway."

Narcissa shook her head. "I'd rather not impose on your grandparents like that."

"No, it won't be an imposition at all," insisted Victoire. "My grandmother always makes more than enough, Mrs. Malfoy."

Narcissa glanced at her grandson. He shrugged. "I don't mind," he said.

"I'm not sure," said Narcissa. "Your grandfather and Lucius have never gotten along. There's a lot of bad blood between them."

Victoire broke out into a grin. Teddy was sure that she was using her Weasley half. "Then all the more reason for you and Scorpius to come over."

Andromeda threw her two knuts in, "Cissy, when these two finally get married, it would be awkward when you're invited to their wedding."

Victoire and Teddy groaned in unison as Narcissa accepted the invitation.

***

The following day, the Malfoys went to Diagon Alley. The first stop was Gringotts. Victoire's father met with Scorpius and Narcissa to discuss the withdrawal and conversion. Mr. Bill Weasley was more than happy to help out. "This is quite a young man you have here, Mrs. Malfoy," said Bill.

"His parents did the hard work," said Narcissa.

Scorpius was pink with embarrassment. "Thank you for your help, Mr. Weasley."

"No problem. The goblins though aren't too happy. They're ready to cry," said Bill with a smile. He handed Scorpius a banker's draft. "Now what you have is a banker's draft. You don't want to walk around with all that money loose. It's as good as money to the Muggles."

"I need fifty more galleons to shop for presents," he said.

The Malfoys had premium accounts. They didn't have to go all the way to their vaults to get money. It was brought to them. Bill sent the order. "My daughter invited you to my parents' house," he told them.

"She insisted," said Narcissa.

Bill grinned again. It was a fond fatherly one. "That's my Vicki for you. Teddy's very important to her, so you being his family garners you an invitation."

One of the goblins knocked on the door and Bill let him in. The goblin looked very unhappy as he handed the money to Scorpius before leaving. The Malfoys left after that. This time around Scorpius split up from his grandmother willing. He promised to meet her at the Leaky Cauldron in two hours. Scorpius had a fairly short shopping list: his grandmother, his aunt, Teddy, Victoire, and Professor Longbottom.

The last one was the hardest. Scorpius wasn't sure if he should get his professor anything, but it seemed wrong not to thank the man who had helped him get through the school year so far. How could he not get him anything? Would it be too much?

Scorpius headed to a stationary store to get some parchment to write a letter of thanks to Dr. McKellan. Scorpius' grandmother was planning on making something for the nursing staff. Narcissa asked him if he was sure they'd like it. Scorpius had a hard time not laughing at his grandmother's anxiety over whether or not Muggles would like her sweets.

Scorpius killed two birds with one stone when went to the stationary store. He found parchment and a magical dictation set. It was perfect for Professor Longbottom. He paid and moved on to the next shop. He went to Madam Malkin's to find something for the ladies on his list.

For Victoire, Scorpius bought a pair of unicorn hair gloves. For his aunt, a scarf also made of unicorn hair. Scorpius didn't know what to get his grandmother. He knew that she wanted what he also wanted.

Narcissa didn't just talk about her son, but also her daughter-in-law. She had loved Astoria as a daughter. Scorpius saw an antique music box in one of the shops. He went in to inquiry about it. The shopkeeper told him, "I'm having a hard time selling it. The music is by a Muggle composer, Bihoven."

"Beethoven," corrected Scorpius automatically. He opened it and the box played Fur Elise. He was familiar with the piece and could play it on the piano. It was one of his parents' favorite pieces. He gently closed the lid. "I'll take it."

"Excellent choice, young man," said the shopkeeper. The music box was wrapped up and that left Scorpius only Teddy to worry about.

As he came out of the last shop, Lily and her mother were on the street shopping. She caught sight of him. Her mother was more concerned about getting the shopping done. Harry and Ginny had decided to divide and conquer. He was with the boys. "Lily, we need to go to Gladrags," Ginny told her daughter.

"Huh?" mumbled Lily distractedly.

"What's the matter?" asked Ginny. "Don't tell me you're already tired."

"No," said Lily. She looked again to where Scorpius was and she was disappointed he was gone.

Ginny gave her a questioning look. "Lily, you just stopped talking all of a sudden. That's not like you."

"I just thought I saw someone from school," said Lily.

Ginny asked, "Who?"

"I was wrong," replied Lily hastily.

Ginny always knew when her children were lying. She saw how nervous her youngest child was. In fact, Lily was turning red. She tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. Ginny decided to let it slide. "There's a reason why I told your father to take the boys, Lily," she said.

"Why, Mum?"

"When I was your age, I wished your gran would have done this with in the winter rather than in the summer of the next year." They walked into Gladrags. "It's a rite of passage."

Lily had no idea what her mother was talking about. She also didn't like that mischievous grin that played across her mother's face. It was too much like her uncle's. She walked along side her mother, and her mother stopped. Looking around her, Lily realized they were in the undergarments section.

"Mum, this is the bra section," stated Lily.

"Yes, it is. The time has come, my dear, for you to get your first bra," announced Ginny.

Lily gawked at her. "But Rose didn't have to go with Aunt Hermione. She just brought them home for her!" she exclaimed. "Don't you need something to put in them?" She gestured at her nearly flat chest.

Ginny shook her head, "You're like me, Lily. Sure, they won't grow too large, but they'll be in before you know it."

Lily and Ginny spent the next hour trying on different bras. Lily hated every minute of it. All the little ribbons, pearls, and bits of lace weren't enough to make her feel better. She wrinkled her nose in distaste at one that all three. "Why?" she asked in a mystified voice. "No one's going to see it."

"You'll have to worry about that later," said Ginny. She had to smile a bit. Lily was still her father's little girl.

"They all feel weird," muttered Lily, referring to the ones she had already tried on. "It's like wearing a vice around your chest."

Ginny laughed. She wouldn't have missed this for bonding experience for the world. She took a quick glance at the time and said, "Let's pay for these and met your father and brothers."

"Thank you, Mum," declared Lily, being grateful that it was all over. They paid and left Gladrags. They were headed for the central meeting place for all the Weasleys, George's store, Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes. While they walked over there, Lily asked her mother, "Will I have to tell Dad about this?"

"No," answered Ginny. "Your dad's still having a hard time with you being away. He said you were growing up faster than James and Al."

Lily sighed. "How did you know you liked Dad, Mum?"

Ginny answered, "I was about your age. Your uncle invited him over to the Burrow. It was so embarrassing at breakfast when I put my elbow into the butter dish." She said this fondly. "I know that I liked him right away. I was making a fool of myself. Why do you ask?"

Lily froze. She shook her head, "No reason."

"Lily Luna Potter, stop lying and tell me what's bothering!" ordered Ginny out of sheer frustration. She had her hands on her hips and she looked like her own mother at that point.

Lily was taken back as she blinked. "T-there's this b-boy," she stammered as she turned absolutely scarlet. "I think I might like him." She clutched the bag from Gladrags tightly, avoiding eye contact with her mother.

"Tell me about me," said Ginny gently.

"He's kind of quiet," said Lily, "but he can play the violin. It was so beautiful when I heard him, Mum. He's kind and generous." She recalled the times when Scorpius could have yelled at her for running into him, and he gave away all of his parcels from his grandmother. "He's also cute," whispered Lily. "He's a little bit taller than Al. He looks like an angel." She didn't want to give a further description of Scorpius.

"He's in Al's year?" asked Ginny as she smiled. Lily nodded. She had just given enough for her mother to work with. "Who is he?"

"Mum, please don't make me tell you," begged Lily. "He barely knows I'm alive. And if he does, he probably thinks I'm an idiot. I had three chances to talk to him and just either stood there like an idiot or said the dumbest things."

Ginny leaned in on her, "Lil, I know exactly how you feel. Is he one of your brother's friends?"

"Not exactly," said Lily. "He doesn't seem to have any. He's alone a lot. I watch him in the Great Hall all the time. He doesn't smile a lot, but when he does it's amazing."

Ginny sighed and then laughed, "Lily, I don't know that boy's two years older than you. You really should be concentrating on your studies. There's still plenty of time. You're just in your first year. This boy can't be the end all be all."

"How can you say that when you knew right away that Dad was the one?" asked Lily stubbornly.

Ginny was unable to say anything as Harry called, "Gin! Lily!"

Lily looked anxiously at her mother. "You're not going to tell Dad, are you?" she asked in a small voice.

"No, I promise," answered Ginny as she wrapped her arm around her shoulder. The two most important females in Harry Potter's life rejoined him and his sons. He beamed at them both.

* * *

Author's Note: Now there was a lot of stuff in this chapter. This is a set up for later. A lot of it involves going back and reading things and editing some of it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	16. Part 16: The Beach

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Sixteen: The Beach

On Christmas Eve, Scorpius woke up from a nightmare. It was actually early Christmas morning around three o' clock. His scar was throbbing like mad almost bring him to tears. He was in a cold sweat. He curled into a fetal position as he tried to remember what it was that caused the scar to hurt so much. There were several things lurking in his mind. Flashes of images that made no sense whatsoever just before dawn. He felt tremors of fear pounding in his veins. Fretfully, he tried to go back to sleep and another dream came, replacing the flashes he saw that made his scar burn.

Scorpius now remembered. It was back when he and his parents were in Moscow. His father had gone away on one of his business trips. His mother always worried about it when his father was away, even if she tried to hide it from Scorpius. He remembered that night his father came home in the early morning hours. Scorpius was in his parents' bed because he couldn't sleep.

Astoria often let Scorpius sleep with her when Draco was away. Draco laughed about it, but never really objected. He teased his wife of replacing him with someone younger and cuter than him. Scorpius didn't mind. He loved the sound of his mother's heartbeat when she held him close.

The scar felt like it was on fire or that it was throbbing. Scorpius seethed, trying to keep from screaming. Yes, the memory of Moscow came back to him.

_He didn't remember when he noticed his mother had left him. It was the lack of warmth and the silence that woke him. Immediately, Scorpius went searching for her. He followed the sound of her voice. He perked up when he heard the sound of his father's voice. Scorpius made a dash to the living room and hid just around the corner. _

_His father was mess from what he could see. Draco was bruised and he was bleeding. Astoria was using her wand to bandage her husband's right hand as she rooted through their medical kit for some potions. "At least, he didn't get away." Scorpius heard his father say in an attempt to mollify his mother._

_"Draco, this has got to stop!" exclaimed Astoria. Her dark blond hair was a mess and her light blue eyes were furious. "I can't do this anymore. When you go off, I never know if you're coming home," she cried. She stopped because she couldn't say anymore. _

_Draco reached out his hand and touched her face. "You knew when you married me that this was what it was going to be like," he said. "I gave you the chance to leave."_

_Astoria shuddered and angrily batted his hand away. "What, Draco? You want me to make Scorpius and leave you?"_

_He swallowed hard. "No, please don't," he whispered. "You can if you want to. I wouldn't blame you." He looked her in the eye. "It might be safer for you both."_

_"Don't you dare use that as an excuse to push me away," snapped Astoria. "You promised me that no matter what that I was your partner in everything."_

_Draco used his wand to summon some ice to him. He took one cube and pressed it against the gash on his lip. "Tori," started Draco, "you and Scorpius are the reason why I do what I do."_

_"Haven't you done enough already?" asked Astoria as she folded her arms over her chest. _

_Draco didn't answer her. He saw Scorpius, peeking around the corner. Astoria followed Draco's eyes and hastily wiped her face. Draco padded over to Scorpius after dropping the ice cube back into the bowl. As Draco got closer to him, he saw that Scorpius was giving him the best glare he could manage at the age of four. Draco stooped down to his son's level, even wincing a bit, he said, "Why are you up, Score?"_

_"Why'd you make Mummy cry, Daddy?" demanded Scorpius._

_"Is that what woke you up?" asked Draco, looking guilty._

_"Were you in a fight, Daddy? Is that what made Mummy cry?"_

_Astoria came up to them. She stroked Scorpius' hair, which had been tousled in his sleep. He responded by putting his arms around her. "You shouldn't be getting into fights and making Mummy cry, Daddy." Scorpius told his father._

_"I'm sorry," said Draco solemnly._

_"No, tell Mummy, not me."_

_A smile tugged at the corner of Draco's mouth, but he straightened up and said to his wife," I'm sorry."_

_"I'm sorry, too," whispered Astoria._

_"Now kiss her," prompted Scorpius._

_Draco chuckled, "You're up way too late and awfully bossy for someone so small. My lip is bleeding, son."_

_"Shut up and do as he said, Draco," ordered Astoria. Draco couldn't resist direct order, kissing her soundly on the lips._

_"Now me," chimed in Scorpius. His parents glanced down at him and he gave them an impish grin. He extended his arms upwards and his mother scooped him up. His parents gave him kisses. Astoria finished patching up Draco and they want to bed with Scorpius on his father's chest._

Scorpius wondered why such a good memory was now a nightmare and why his scar hurt. He was wide awake now, unable to go back to sleep. He sat up, the pain was subsiding. Slowly, he got out of bed. Why was his father injured like that? What were his parents really arguing about?

Scorpius wasn't sure what his father did for a living. Being a Malfoy, money was never an issue. Scorpius thought that his mother was worried about his father's trips because she missed him. Scorpius left his room, quietly creeping down to his parents' room.

It was the way they had left it over a year ago. His grandmother preserved it, saying that whenever Scorpius was ready, they would put his parents' things away. She used anti-dust spells that didn't move anything around. He shut the door without making a sound.

People always assumed that Draco and Astoria Malfoy would have lived in one of the grand properties that both families owned. That wasn't the case. The house they got was considered modesty compared to what they made. It only had four bedrooms; one of them was used as an office for Draco.

Draco had long ago had a falling out with his father. Lucius hadn't disinherited him, but he never gave Draco control over any of the family's assets. Draco didn't begin his youthful rebellion until he was in the last part of his teens and after the trials and court hearings were over. Scorpius had heard the story from his father. Draco had never elaborated on what caused the rift between himself and Lucius. He simply called it a difference of opinion. Scorpius figured it had to do with Lucius' rotten personality.

Scorpius went to his mother's vanity. He opened one of the perfume bottles. It was the smell of Madonna lilies. His mother loved lilies. Her jewelry box was opened as she had left it. Scorpius touched the pearls. That was his mother: pearls and lilies. He gazed at the wedding picture that sat there.

It was one of the few candid shots that were taken without them knowing at the time. His parents were facing each other by a window. Astoria had her hand on Draco's chest. He was leaning into her, his lips touching her forehead. The shadows from the light in the window almost made them look like silhouettes.

A glint caught Scorpius' eye. It was his mother's engagement ring. It was made with a spectacular emerald with smaller black diamonds. His mother didn't wear it that often and complained that it weighed down her hand. She said that it was too much and it made it hard for her to play her violin. She wore a plain platinum band with engravings on it, and Scorpius' father wore the other one. The rings were enchanted to magically lock together when they weren't worn. Those were the rings that Scorpius' parents were buried with.

Scorpius went to his father's side of the room, which was much more austere than his mother's side. His father had developed an aversion to too much clutter. His father's bedside table had a novel with a silver bookmark wedged where Draco had stopped reading. A wooden valet with a pair of trousers hanging on it stood next to a set of drawers. On top of the drawers was his father's pocket watch, which had a picture of Scorpius and his mother in it, a collection of cufflinks, and the Malfoy signet ring. His father was more concerned about the book than the things on top of the drawers. He had mentioned it during the trip.

The next part that Scorpius explored was his parents' walk through closet. It was divided like the bedroom. Scorpius noticed that his mother took up two-thirds of the closet. His father's Italian shoes were polished and lined up. His father's robes were next to Muggle clothing. He saw the Armani label. Scorpius had no idea who Armani was, but his father always looked good in the suits. Scorpius remembered that their trunks along with their wands were still in the Ministry's evidence department.

Scorpius left the closet and felt better. He sat down on his parents' bed. His chest felt heavy as he swung his legs up and rolled into the center of it. Before he knew it, he fell asleep.

A few hours later, Narcissa went to go check on her grandson. When she found his bed empty, she felt nervous and went looking for him. She was relieved to find him in his parents' room fast asleep. It was a Christmas Day. Narcissa, knowing what Scorpius didn't want to hear, whispered, "Happy Birthday, my love."

***

Teddy borrowed his godfather's car for the trip to Cornwall. Harry agreed without hesitation and was only given a few details. The first stop was the hospital. Teddy drove while Scorpius rode shotgun. Neither Scorpius nor Narcissa knew that they were in the Potters' car. Narcissa was a touch anxious and it partly had to do with Teddy's driving. The other part was the prospect of meeting so many Muggles.

"Oops," said Teddy as he drove through a red light. "It's a good thing there's not a lot of traffic today."

Scorpius didn't have much experience with riding in Muggle vehicles said, "So red is stop?"

Teddy grinned, "Yes, but I couldn't stop and block the intersection. There's no one else around anyway."

"Teddy, please slow down," said Narcissa.

She was hanging onto a handle on the roof of the car near the door. She gripped it tighter with each turn that Teddy made. Scorpius said in a delighted voice, "This is fun."

Teddy chuckled as Narcissa sent a glared at her grandson. "Don't worry, Aunt Cissy. I only had to take the test twice," he assured her.

"That is not very reassuring, Teddy," murmured Narcissa. "Who taught you how to operate this contraption?"

"Harry and Ron. Mostly Ron," answered Teddy.

"You mean Ron Weasley?" asked Scorpius.

"Yep," nodded Teddy.

Scorpius shrugged. "That does explain why Rose Weasley looks a bit shaken when she gets to King's Cross." He paused, then added, "Her brother looked like he had a ride on a roller coaster."

"A what?" asked Narcissa as she grimaced.

Scorpius explained, "Mechanical Muggle rides that they have in parks and fairs, Grandmother. They're loads of fun. My mum used to take me." His smile vanished as they came to the hospital. Teddy pulled into the parking lot and parked in the car. They got out and Scorpius led the way to the ICU unit of the hospital.

Narcissa took in the hospital with curiousity. Scorpius was at ease as he spotted one of the nurses. "Flora!" he called.

A slender, brown haired nurse in scrubs turned. It was the same nurse who had nearly throttled Teddy. She broke out into a smile. "Scorpius? Is that you?"

Scorpius nodded. She ran up to him. "How are you? Are you all right? You look good and taller."

"Hi Flora," said Scorpius as he introduced his grandmother. "This is my grandmother, Narcissa Malfoy."

Flora nodded, "Hello Mrs. Malfoy. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'd offer my hand, but I haven't had a chance to wash up." She gestured them to follow her.

Narcissa returned a smile. "The pleasure is mine. I wanted to thank the people who looked after my grandson." She offered the tins of sweets that she spent days making. "Scorpius said your staff doesn't accept individual gifts, but these desserts are hardly adequate for what you did for our family."

Flora graciously accepted the sweets. "What we do is a calling, Mrs. Malfoy. The rewards we receive can't be measured in money or gifts."

"Is Dr. McKellan in today?" asked Scorpius.

Flora nodded, "He's one of the few doctors who volunteer to work today. I'll page him."

Teddy said as soon as she was gone, "I think she doesn't remember me."

"That's because you look different," pointed out Scorpius, referring to Teddy's selection of dirty blond hair and light green eyes.

Dr. McKellan arrived; he was wearing his lab coat. He wore a friendly smile on his face. "Hello Scorpius. It's wonderful to see you," he said warmly.

"It's good to see you, Dr. McKellan," sad Scorpius as he extended his hand. They shook hands. "This is my grandmother, Narcissa. You may not remember my cousin, Teddy."

"Pleasure to meet you," said the doctor. He gave Teddy a questioning look over, but said, "Nice to see you again. Now what brings you here, Scorpius. Don't tell me you missed the place?"

"Can we speak somewhere private?" requested Scorpius. "It's important."

The doctor guided them to his office. "I know that today must be very difficult for you," he acknowledged. "You were moved against my recommendations, but it's a relief to see that you're physically fine."

Scorpius nodded. He preferred the doctor to Healer Thomas, although both were great healers. "I feel bad that I never got to thank you properly," said Scorpius as they entered Dr. McKellan's office. "I know it was just part of your job, Dr. McKellan, but thank you for saving my life." Scorpius reached into his jacket pocket and handed an envelope to the doctor.

Dr. McKellan offered seats to Narcissa and Teddy as Scorpius choose to stand. The doctor opened the envelope. He took one look at the banker's draft and one at Scorpius, looking astonished. "It's a small amount, but you were saying that you didn't like personal gifts. It's donation for the hospital. I only ask that you leave my name out of out it," explained Scorpius in a rush.

"Oh my word," said Dr. McKellan. He read the letter that Scorpuis had written. "This is amazing. You're very welcome, Scorpius."

Scorpius turned a bit pink. "It's the least I could do," he mumbled.

Narcissa got up from the chair and to Scorpius' surprise, she embraced the Muggle physician. "You are more than a healer. You brought my grandson back from the dead. You are a miracle worker. Thank you very much," she whispered.

Dr. McKellan smile and said, "It's my job, Mrs. Malfoy. You're very welcome."

Scorpius, aware of the time, cleared his throat. "Well, we've got to get going. Two more stops to make today," said Teddy.

"Yes," said Narcissa as she smiled. She brushed away a tear as Scorpius placed his hand on her shoulder.

With that, they departed from the hospital. They took a drive towards the beach where it had happened. The air became colder as Scorpius felt a weight on his chest again. Teddy parked the car. Scorpius went to the trunk to get a bouquet of lilies. "I'll wait here," said Teddy, digging his hands into his pockets, not wanting to intrude.

Scorpius nodded and offered his arm to his grandmother. She pulled the hood of her cloak over her head as the wind came over them. Together they walked to the beach. Narcissa abhorred the beach because of the sand, but she knew that Draco had loved the beach as a child. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears as Scorpius stopped. He placed the flowers on the spot where his mother died.

The thing about sand was that it never stayed the same way for very long. Last year, it had been soaked with blood. Scorpius raked his fingers through his hair. Slowly he let go of his grandmother and went down to the slight embankment. He stopped as he drew a long breath. He closed his eyes for a moment. "Don't be afraid. I need you to be brave," his father's last words echoed in Scorpius' ears. He placed his hand over the star shaped scar on his right side.

His grandmother had joined him. She crouched down on the sand where her son's blood had been spilled so violently. She had brought a small glass vial with her. Narcissa scooped up some of the sand and poured it into the vial. She closed the vial and stood up. She looked at her grandson who so strongly resembled his father. As he got older, Narcissa could see that Scorpius was going to have his own face. She had hoped that he would have a life free of trauma and tragedy. Wordlessly, they nodded to each other and headed back to the car.

Teddy waited outside, even though it was cold. He opened the door for Narcissa and Scorpius climbed into the front passenger side. "Seat belts," reminded Teddy. He didn't start the car until he heard two clicks. Silently, he drove back to Manderley.

Teddy said to them before going to the Burrow, "I'll see you there. Take as much time as you need."

"Thank you for today, Teddy," said Narcissa. She kissed his cheek.

"No problem. Anyway for you and Scorpius," he told her.

"Thanks, Teddy," said Scorpius. He looked tired but he added, "Remember when you called me, 'Score,' and I got mad at you?" Teddy had all but forgotten about that. Scorpius continued, "I'm sorry. You can call me that if you want."

"Right," nodded Teddy. "See you later, Aunt Cissy. Score."

Scorpius and his grandmother took a portkey to the family plot. Scorpius hadn't been to his parents' graves since they were buried, but his grandmother visited regularly. He couldn't bring himself to go there. At first Narcissa had tried, but the more she pushed, the more it hurt them both.

"May I please be alone, Grandmother?" asked Scorpius as if it hurt to speak.

Narcissa nodded and walked away. Scorpius had dreaded this more than anything else. He dropped to his knees, ignoring the slush on the ground. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm sorry that I haven't been visiting." He dropped the other bouquet of lilies he had. "It's not that I've forgotten you. I think of you all the time, Mum. Dad." His voice started quiver as it took a higher pitch. "You told me you needed me to be brave, Dad. I don't think I can do it. I'm not like you." Scorpius closed his eyes. He swallowed hard and brushed away the tears that he had held in for the day. He touched his cheek, recalling the last time his father had kissed him. That must have been the moment his father had cast his last spell.

Narcissa stood not too faraway, using every ounce of will not to rush over and comfort her grandson. Up to this point, she had never known her son's last words. She should have known that whatever Draco had said, it was to comfort Scorpius. Finally Scorpius rose up and walked up to her. She gave him the gentlest of smiles. "Do you think they can hear me?" asked Scorpius.

Narcissa nodded and answered without hesitation, "I believe it."

* * *

Author's Note: As I wrote this story, I was watching Lost. Astoria's character began to form as I watched Penny Widmore. The thing about dreams is that you can have more than one during the night. Now, the memory that Scorpius has is linked to his father, but the other flashes he saw that night are separate ones. This is a long story, so the reviews being too few are acceptable. Although, it is encouraging that with each chapter I seem to be getting more people who want to be alerted when the next chapter is up, so it's not a bad thing.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	17. Part 17: The Burrow

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Seventeen: The Burrow

Victoire Weasley stood before her family. Not really the whole family, the kids were outside enjoying a snowball fight. Victoire had gathered all of her aunts and uncles, her grandparents, and parents. They had no idea why she had asked them to gather in the living room like this. Only Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny knew why Teddy was absent. Bill knew because Victoire had told him, but his wife, Fleur, didn't know.

"I just want to ask all of you to be nice when Narcissa Malfoy and her grandson get here," said Victoire.

The silence was deafening as most of them sat stunned. "Wait. You invited them here?" exclaimed George, shattering the silence. "To our house?" Everyone started talking all at once.

Victoire used her wand to increase the volume of her voice over them. "Hear me out. These people are part of Teddy's family and they're very important to him," she said in a booming voice. Everyone stopped talking again. She lowered her voice back to normal. "Granddad, say something. It's not like Lucius Malfoy is coming." She looked at Arthur whose lips were set to a firm line. He was the only one who wasn't talking when everyone else was. "Please Granddad. It's the first anniversary of her son and daughter-in-law's deaths. It's hardest on Scorpius. He's nice kid. Teddy's really protective of him."

"He's got gracious manners," offered Bill. "I met with him and his grandmother. Scorpius was nothing but polite and genuine." He saw them looking at him. Bill and Victoire hadn't disclosed why Scorpius met with Bill. "Mature beyond his years, but that's probably due to what happened to him."

Harry said, "I met with him last summer. Bill's right."

"I'd be more worried about what the kids here would do," added Ron.

"The poor dear," said Molly. She was a grandmother and a mother. It wasn't hard for her to be sympathetic. "To lose your parents on today of all days. Arthur, it wouldn't be a bother."

"He's still a Malfoy," sighed Arthur. "But I suppose if the two of my sons, my son-in-law, and my granddaughter are willing to vouch for him, then he and his grandmother are welcomed."

"Also don't ask her about the divorce or ask him about his parents," added Victoire.

"Then, what are we supposed to talk about?" asked Percy.

Victoire shrugged, "Narcissa's more sociable than Scorpius. He's sort of reserved, but I'm sure that he's going to talk to Al, Rose, or Fred. They have the same classes together in school."

"Al and Scorpius are partnered in Charms," pointed out Hermoine, having heard that from her daughter. "They've been working together since November, right Ginny?"

"Yes," confirmed Ginny. "Al hasn't had any problems with him."

A faint knock came from the door, followed by Teddy's signature knock. Victoire opened the door. "Happy Christmas," they greeted at the same time.

After the initial greetings, exchanges of well wishes, hugs, and kisses. Victoire asked, "So where are they? I just finished briefing my family."

Teddy replied, "They went to visit his parents."

"How did the rest of it go?" she asked as the others paid attention.

"Good," said Teddy, but not elaborating further than that.

Andromeda joined Molly in the kitchen. She was a proud aunt when it came to Scorpius. Molly asked Andromeda more about her nephew. "He plays the violin and piano," said Andromeda. "He takes after his mother that way. He started playing from the age of three or four. Very accomplished now. I loved having him over during the summer while my sister was having her meetings."

Ginny thought about what her daughter had said about the boy she liked. He was in Al's year, so was Scorpius. The boy also played the violin, so did Scorpius. Ginny came to the realization at the moment that Lily's crush had to have been in another house, which explaining why she only saw him during meals. Ginny also remembered that Scorpius, though while resembling his father strongly, but he had softer features. Coupled with a fine bone structure and fair coloring, he looked angelic.

Meanwhile, the Malfoys stood the front door. "Well, here goes," said Narcissa. They had changed clothes before coming. Teddy said to do casual.

Scorpius looked at the Burrow, not knowing whether to question the structural integrity of the house or to be impressed with the charms and the spells that were used to hold it up. Either way, Scorpius liked the look of it. It was like a piece of abstract art. The door swung open while Scorpius was still admiring his surroundings.

"You made it," said Teddy. He grinned at them. "Come in Aunt Cissy. Score."

"It's not like you haven't seen us all day, Teddy," said Narcissa as he took her cloak.

When Scorpius got inside, all eyes were on him. "Hello," he said, going on autopilot polite. He had his hands in his pockets. "Happy Christmas," he threw in. He was surprised to see Harry there, but quickly recovered. He had forgotten that the Potters and Weasleys were related by marriage.

"How are you, Scorpius?" asked Harry.

Scorpius answered, "Better than last year, Mr. Potter, but not by much." He pulled his hands out of his pockets, and he shook hands with Harry.

George had softened a bit. The boy was carrying himself as if he was burdened. "You want to join the others outside?" he offered.

"I'm not really up for it, but thank you, Mr. Weasley," said Scorpius.

Narcissa had stood silently as she watched her grandson. It was awful that he was used to people staring at him like this. "Where is my sister, Teddy? We need to get Scorpius something to eat. He hasn't had anything all day," she said.

"In the kitchen," replied Teddy. "Where else would she be?"

Narcissa laughed. "Of course, come on Scorpius."

"I'm fine. I'm not hungry," said Scorpius. He sounded a little defiant.

Narcissa raised her eyebrow at him. "You haven't eaten anything since last night. Now, you will go to the kitchen before I will be forced to break the law in front of these nice Aurors and use the Imperius Curse on you," she said in a sweet tone. She gave him a look that made it pretty clear that she was more than capable of doing it.

Scorpius didn't need telling twice. "Teddy, wait up," he called after his cousin. He heard the laughter come from the Weasleys as he caught up with Teddy. "Why do they do that?"

"They're Blacks, Score," laughed Teddy, knowing that Scorpius was talking about both of their grandmothers. "You should know by now not to mess with them. You've been around for fourteen years now. You never had a chance."

Harry heard Teddy say that. Yes, Narcissa was Sirius' cousin. "How are you, Mrs. Malfoy?" he asked.

"A bit better than him," said Narcissa. "This is a very interesting house. It's remarkable." She saw the pictures that were on the mantle. "We went to the beach today. The place where they died." Her eyes settled on the picture of the Weasleys in Egypt. She counted the number of children, noting that one was missing out of the people she had recognized as Weasleys. "He paid a visit to their graves. It was very hard for him."

Harry listened to her soft voice. "Mrs. Malfoy, I was wondering about something. Did Draco tell you what he did for a living?" he asked.

Narcissa shook her head. "He said he was a freelance consultant, but he had confidentiality contracts. That last bit I didn't believe. He didn't want me to know what he was doing," she replied.

Ron was listening as were others. "Harry, it's Christmas. Leave it for later," he urged.

"Sorry," said Harry.

Scorpius met Molly Weasley. She immediately set to work fixing up a plate for him and Andromeda was laughing at the expression on his face. "You're nearly as thin as Harry when I first met him," observed Molly.

"I'm all right, Mrs. Weasley," he said pleasantly. "Thank you. It's more than enough." He dug in if only to get her to stop filling his plate. Narcissa joined him. It suddenly occurred to Scorpius that he was stuck in a room with three grandmothers. All three of them were hovering about. Narcissa without any problem went in and started helping along. A glass with pumpkin juice appeared and he looked to Teddy for help, but he had already been abandoned.

Narcissa took a seat and the three of them soon joined Scorpius who was still eating. He was afraid to leave anything on his plate least the grandmothers would jump on him for it. The food was delicious. "Thank you for having us over, Mrs. Weasley," said Narcissa formally.

"Please call me, Molly," she said. "I bet this is different from what you normally do."

"Things won't go back to the way they were," said Narcissa. She wrapped her fingers around her tea cup. "What a charming home you have, Molly."

Molly blushed a bit. She wasn't expecting that. "Not a grand place, but it's gotten quieter since my children have grown up."

"You are very fortunate," said Narcissa with a sad smile.

Molly said, "I lost my son during the war. Fred. He was George's twin. I understand."

Scorpius knew now why Molly Weasley was so welcoming. These three women were bonded because they all had lost children. "May I go outside now?" he asked quietly after a few minutes. He had made it through the plate.

"Sure," nodded Narcissa. "Be careful out there."

Scorpius nodded as picked up his plate and carried it to the sink. Molly said, "You didn't need to do that, dear. You're a guest."

"Force of habit, Mrs. Weasley. My mother wouldn't approve of me just leaving my plate," Scorpius informed her. "Thank you."

Scorpius went outside and saw the snow covered backyard. He heard the sounds of the Weasleys and Potters playing. There was a shed in the yard that had a light in it. The door opened with some smoke bellowing out of it. Hugo Weasley was coughing and loudly saying, "Granddad, I think you did it wrong!"

Scorpius' curiosity was piqued as he slowly made his way to the shed. Hugo stopped and stared at him. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Teddy invited me," replied Scorpius.

Arthur Weasley emerged. He had left when Teddy and Andromeda left to go to the shed. Hugo had taken cover from his cousins during the snowball fight and decided to tinker around in his granddad's shed. Scorpius' experience with grandfathers wasn't very good. He greeted, "Hello Mr. Weasley. I'm Scorpius Malfoy."

Arthur scrutinized the boy. He saw the Malfoy family resemblance, but Scorpius held his gaze without being too impetuous. Arthur saw what most people saw when they looked into Scorpius' eyes: unspeakable sadness. "Hello Scorpius," he said. He didn't see the grandson of his worst enemy, but a child who seemed lost. "It's a bit cold out here and you're hardly dressed for it."

"It's okay. I'm a winter person," said Scorpius. "What were you doing just now, Sir?"

Arthur said, "Well, I don't think it would interest you so much." Did a Malfoy just call him "Sir" without a hint of malice?

Scorpius looked passed Arthur, over Hugo's head, who was still staring at him. "It looks like you were attempting to put together a circuit, but you shorted it out," he said.

"It's something with Muggle electricity," said Arthur. Hardly any of his own grandchildren knew about that, and it was even more intriguing that the grandson of Lucius Malfoy would know it just by looking at it.

"You were doing a series circuit," said Scorpius as he put his hands in his pockets. "I would suggest a parallel one."

Arthur nodded as he offered, "Would you like a closer look?"

"Yes, please," replied Scorpius as he entered the shed. He took his hands out of his pockets. "The problem with a series circuit is if one bulb goes out, then the others will go out. By putting it in parallel, even if one bulb goes, the others will stay lit. Do you mind if I rearrange this, Mr. Weasley?"

Hugo looked at his granddad. He didn't understand what Scorpius was talking about. His granddad seemed to understand and nodded. Scorpius took the arrangement and moved the light bulbs around with the wires, and then he switched out the burned out bulbs. "We'll need a different power source. The bulbs aren't strong enough to handle the battery you have for it. I need a bucket of water and a lot of salt."

"Hugo, please go and get those from your grandmother," instructed Arthur. Hugo nodded and raced off the kitchen. Arthur looked at Scorpius again. "What are you going to do with water and salt?"

"Making a power source, Mr. Weasley," said Scorpius simply. "Energy is energy whether generated by magic or Muggle science. What we do with magic is energy conversions."

"Where did you learn that?" asked Arthur.

"My Muggle Studies classes," replied Scorpius.

Arthur's eyes widened. "You're taking Muggle Studies?"

"Why does everyone say it a questioning way?" asked Scorpius with only the slightest hint of indignation as he rearranged the components. "Electricity is one of the most interesting things in Muggle science. It has the power to harm as well as help. It can get a human heart to beat if it stops."

"I've never heard that," said Arthur. "Yes, it lights things and makes things run, but I find it hard to believe that electricity can be used like that."

"You're looking at living proof, Mr. Weasley," said Scorpius quietly. Hugo had returned with a big bucket and a tin of salt. Scorpius didn't say anything else about electricity and hearts. Scorpius used the facet to fill the bucket with water. He then opened the tin of salt and dumped the entire contents of it. "I hope that Mrs. Weasley doesn't mind," he said.

"We have more than enough," said Arthur still wondering what in the world Scorpius was doing. He picked up a stick and stirring the salty water vigorously. He picked up the wires and stirring them in the saline solution. The light bulbs lit up. Arthur's jaw dropped as Hugo's eyes widened. "That is brilliant!" declared Arthur. "And you learned this in Muggle Studies?"

"Yes," replied Scorpius as he stopped stirring. The lights went out.

"I've got to take Muggle Studies," said Hugo. "That was awesome. You just used salt and water to do that."

Scorpius started stirring it again. "Take out one of the bulbs. But be careful," he told Hugo. Hugo did just what he said and it didn't disrupt the other lights.

"This is not at all what I would have expected from the grandson of Lucius Malfoy," said Arthur.

"I suppose that's another thing we have in common, Mr. Weasley. Lucius hates both of us," said Scorpius mildly.

Hugo said, "But he's your grandfather." He couldn't believe anyone not having a loving grandfather. He had two. His Gramps, the father of his mother, was so much fun and always gave him sweets even though he was a dentist.

"Grandfather is a term of endearment. There is nothing remotely endearing about Lucius Malfoy," Scorpius told Hugo.

Arthur smiled a bit. He was silently kicking himself for being prejudice of Scorpius. He wondered what the child must have done to anger Lucius Malfoy so much. So far, Arthur concluded that Lucius probably didn't think that Scorpius wasn't nasty enough. It only made sense that if Arthur liked Scorpius, then Lucius wouldn't. The boy had lost his father and mother. Arthur could feel the anger bubbling inside him at Lucius. How could he treat his own grandson in such a callous manner?

Scorpius had rarely seen a smile from his own grandfather. He wondered if he had done something wrong. When Arthur raised his hand, Scorpius braced himself, but most unexpectedly he gave Scorpius a pat on the back. It was odd and he rather liked it. He gave an awkward smile.

***

The Weasley and Potter kids marched into the house after a very long snowball fight. The boys didn't mind sitting in cold, wet clothes, but the girls made a beeline for the bedrooms to change their clothes. So far only Hugo knew out of the kids that Scorpius was there. He was still in the shed with Scorpius and Arthur.

The boys decided that they would stop for a quick snack before changing. Lily followed her cousins to the room that they were using. It was her mother's old room. Rose and Roxanne were with her, changing clothes. Lily peeled off her sweater, revealing the latest addition to her wardrobe. Roxanne stared at her. "Oh, that's not fair! I'm the only one wearing undershirts still," she exclaimed.

Lily blushed as she turned her back and unstrapped her bra, even though it wasn't wet. "I hate it. It's stupid," she muttered. "My mum dragged me to Gladrags and I had to try on a million of them."

"There are not a million bras in Gladrags," giggled Rose. "I'm so glad my mum didn't do that to me."

"Yeah, well, that's what it's like to have a Weasley for a mum, and not a Weasley for a dad," muttered Lily as she put her sweater back on. Roxanne and Rose were changing just their sweaters and taking off their snow boots.

Roxanne giggled, "My dad would probably have an aneurysm if I asked him for one. I should ask him later at home. I just want to see what he'd do."

Lily tossed her bra aside. "I'm just trying to get used it," she said. "But it's so binding, even if it's the perfect size."

"You should just put it on. You'll never get used to it," recommended Rose.

The door burst open because earlier the boys had unceremoniously dumped the bags in there. The girls jolted from the sudden interruption. "Knock!" shouted Rose indignantly. "We could have still been changing!"

"That's stupid, Rosie," said Louis. "I have two older sisters. It's nothing." He rolled his eyes. "It's my father and me against all the women."

Only Albus and Fred stayed outside in the hall. No one had yet noticed that Hugo had disappeared during the snowball fight. James couldn't resist as he teased, "You girls got nothing we'd be interested in." His eyes fell on the bra that Lily had flung earlier. It had landed on the floor. He picked it up. "Whose is this?"

Lily snapped, "That's mine, James. Give it back!"

James looked at the bra and looked at his baby sister. He raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?" he asked. Louis was actually snickering. "Hate to break it to you, Lil, but you've got nothing to put in it so it's kind of pointless."

Lily began to crackle with anger as Roxanne stepped back from her. Rose stepped in, "Give it back to her, James. What do you know about girls? Nothing."

"You shouldn't leave it lying around like that," said James as he offered it back to Lily. She reached over to take it, but he pulled it back. "Because you never know if someone might play keep away with it!" With that last bit, he took off running.

Lily didn't waste any time as she shoved Louis aside and gave chase. James was laughing as he raced by Albus and Fred. Before long, all of them were running after James. He was a fast runner and pretty light on his feet as ran downstairs to where everyone else had gathered. Molly, Lucy, Victoire, and Dominique barely saw what James had in his hand as he ran by them. They were warming themselves by the fire with mugs of hot chocolate.

"GIVE IT BACK, JAMES! IT'S NOT FUNNY!" shouted Lily at the top of her lungs.

"I'm only doing you a favor. You don't need it!" retorted James in laughter. Ginny and Harry glanced at each other as they both started yelling. It was all very funny to everyone else.

At that moment, Narcissa, who was unused to the chaos of a busy house, looked up. The backdoor opened and Hugo bounded in, looking for his grandmother. "Scorpius made electricity from water and salt. It was so cool!" he declared. Arthur was coming inside with Scorpius behind him. They were standing in the way just as James came through the kitchen.

Ginny shouted after her children. "Knock it off, you two. What is going on?!" She glanced at Harry. "Do something."

"James, whatever it is you have, give it back to your sister!" roared Harry. He had no idea what his son had in his hand.

James suddenly threw the bra in the air, hitting Scorpius smack in the face.

* * *

Author's Note: Come on, you knew the bra thing had to come back in the end. It was quite a build up. Poor Lily. I also wanted to include the Muggle loving Arthur. How will Scorpius react to this? Harry is still the investigator, but he's about to go into father mode next. And if you can figure out where I got the reference for the line about magic and science, I'll give you brownie points. This was one of my favorite chapters to write.

Thanks for the all the reviews as always. Now, I know that it was a bit of pandering, but it does make me feel better.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	18. Part 18: Still At the Burrow

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Eighteen: Still At the Burrow

Scorpius had no idea was hit him. Lily had all but froze when she saw the fair haired boy standing at her grandparents' backdoor. She turned pale, then red. James realizing who he had thrown her bra to started shouting, "What the Bloody Hell are you doing here, Malfoy?!"

Scorpius opened his mouth to answer, but before he could all he could see was a blur as Lily in a fury gave James a right cross. Scorpius was just as stunned as everyone else as Lily took one look at him and took off running. He could see that she was crying. "OW!" exclaimed James as he clutched his hand to his eye.

"Lily Luna Potter!" shouted Ginny as she went after her daughter.

Molly had gotten up and went to her grandson. "She hit me! You all saw that! She really hit me!" Molly pressed a cold compress against James' eye.

Scorpius handed over to Harry what he had in his hand. Harry saw that Scorpius was turning a bit pink. "You deserve it, you stupid git!" declared Roxanne. She saw the way Lily looked when she realized that Scorpius was there. George looked at his daughter, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"It's times like these when I'm almost glad I'm an only child," said Scorpius as he went to go join his grandmother. Clearly, he was a bit embarrassed.

Most of James' uncles were having a hard time not laughing as well as Fred and Louis. The girls were less than amused as Harry took James aside. He was not happy and he made it pretty clear with the look on his face.

"I'll give you credit, Molly, you're never going to be bored around here," said Narcissa as she calmly sipped her tea. "So, what did you do, Scorpius? You made electricity?" She thought that a change of topic would be best. There was no need to further embarrass anyone else.

"Not really. Just used some salt and water to make a power source for the circuit that Mr. Weasley had his shed," replied Scorpius as he took an empty chair next to his grandmother. The other Weasley children looked at him not knowing what to make of him.

"Who invited you?" asked Louis.

"I did," said Victoire.

"He's my cousin," said Teddy. "If you have a problem with him, you'll have a problem with me."

"No problem," said Louis very quickly. He looked at his other cousins who sort of shrugged.

"It's okay, Teddy," said Scorpius calmly. "No need for you do anything on my account."

James returned with Harry. There was already a black eye forming under his left eye. He looked a bit tamer than before, while Harry wasn't any happier. "Sorry, Malfoy, you just surprised me," said James. "I thought you'd be in Malfoy Manor."

Narcissa was the first to say something, "What is your name? James, right?"

Scorpius didn't want his grandmother to do anything, so he interrupted, "Excuse me, Grandmother. I'll handle this. Just so you know, Potter, my grandfather has banned me from the manor. I wouldn't even go there if my life depended on it."

"Banned? Your grandfather banned you from his house?" demanded Arthur.

"The feeling is mutual. He's banned from my parents' house, Mr. Weasley," said Scorpius sullenly. "I'd rather sleep in a den of dragons than go back there anyway. It'll probably be safer anyway." Charlie laughed. The dragon keeper couldn't help it. There was some snickering from Fred and Albus.

"James, you are in big trouble right now. I want you to go upstairs and apologize to your sister," ordered Harry. "Leave Scorpius alone."

"Why should I? She's the one who hit me," said James.

Harry was having a hard time with his eldest son and the fact that his little girl was now old enough to wear undergarments that he could only really associate with his wife. He didn't know what had upset Lily enough to take a swing at James.

"You look fine, Potter," said Scorpius sardonically. "She was crying, so logic dictates that she's more hurt that you." He normally wouldn't say anything and he didn't really like seeing anyone that upset. He had had a hard day himself. "But she's your sister, so I suppose you'd know better than me."

James felt guilty that someone outside of the family, a Malfoy, was the one who pointed out how bad it was. He sighed as he left the kitchen. "Did you finish the Charms essay yet?" asked Albus smoothly.

"Yesterday," replied Scorpius. The conversation started to melt away to other things. It was fairly obvious to anyone that Draco and Astoria Malfoy had done an excellent job raising their son before they gave up their lives for him.

***

Ginny gently knocked on the door as Lily cried into a pillow. "Lily, open the door, please," she pleaded. "Lily, please open the door."

Lily could hear her mother, but she was sobbing. She had never been so humiliated her entire life. She just couldn't believe that Scorpius Malfoy was right in her grandparents' house and that he was right there when James threw her training bra at him. She wrapped her arms over her chest. He must have thought that she was more stupid than ever and a violent witch. She wasn't delicate and sophisticated and now he knew she had no breasts.

Ginny asked, "Can we talk, sweetheart? You need to open this door."

Lily wiped her face. "Leave me alone!" she sobbed. "Just leave me alone!"

Ginny couldn't stand to hear her daughter's heartbroken voice. "Lily, I'm coming in," she said finally, using her wand to unlock the door. Lily turned on her back and faced the wall rather than her mother. Ginny saw that Lily was lying on her old bed. She closed the door behind her and walked up to the bed. "I don't want to talk about it, Mum," she said.

"It might make you feel better," said Ginny as she sat down on the bed. She rubbed her back. "Just tell me what happened."

"I took the stupid bra off. Then James and Louis storm in here and James grabs it and takes off with it."

"Lily, I know you. You wouldn't punch your brother like that before. You never have. Is it because of Scorpius Malfoy?" asked Ginny. Lily didn't answer. She wanted to crawl into a hole and die. "He seems like a nice boy, Lily. You know the first time I saw your father here I was wearing my night clothes."

"At least Uncle George didn't throw your underwear at him," mumbled Lily.

Ginny smiled a bit. "Lily, why don't you come down? He's going to go soon enough and you probably won't see him again until you go back to school."

Lily shook her head. "I'll just look like an idiot again, Mum," she said miserably.

A soft knock came from the door. "Who is it?" asked Ginny.

"It's me, James."

"Come in," said Ginny. Her oldest child opened the door. He looked a little sorrier about what he had done. James walked up to Lily and their mother. He had his hands behind his back. He cleared his throat and said, "I'm sorry about that, Lily." His voice was soft and sincere.

Lily wasn't responsive. She sighed and sat up. "I'm sorry that I punched you," she said softly, but she really wasn't.

James could accept that. He sighed.

Ginny asked, "Are the Malfoys still here?"

"Yeah, Malfoy's still here," answered James. "I can't believe that Teddy's related to him."

"They're related?" asked Lily. She had completely forgotten that Scorpius was Teddy's cousin. She hadn't anticipated that the two of them were so close that Teddy would invite Scorpius.

"Teddy's grandmother is the sister of Malfoy's grandmother, so they're cousins," answered James. "I just hope that he doesn't make this a regular thing."

Ginny knew this, but her children didn't. Lily's eyes had widened at that fact. "But Teddy never talks about him," she pointed out.

"What is your problem with Scorpius Malfoy, James?" asked Ginny.

"He's a Malfoy," shrugged James.

"That's not enough of a reason for you to have a problem with him," said Ginny as she gave her son a look. "James, you have to give people a chance. It is thinking like that has led to more than one war. Your father and I taught you better than that. Now, I'm not telling you to be friends with him, but I am asking to at least be as civil to him as he has been to us. If anyone has any right to be rude, it's him. Today is a very hard day for him. His parents died today last year."

James opened his mouth, but shut it. Lily didn't really know that about Scorpius. There wasn't a lot she knew. She got up. "I need some hot chocolate," she said.

"Let's go get some bruise-remover paste for you eye, James," said Ginny as she followed Lily out of the room.

Lily came down and everything seemed back to normal. She saw Scorpius' grandmother talking with Teddy's grandmother. Both women were elegant. She spotted Roxanne who ran up to her. "Are you okay?" she asked. Lily mutely nodded. "That was one heck of a punch you gave that tosser of a brother of yours."

"I heard that," muttered James. He glowered at Roxanne. "I haven't forgotten that you called me a stupid git."

Lily looked around, but Scorpius wasn't in the room. Roxanne, ignoring James, provided an answer, "He went to go talk to your dad, Uncle Ron, and Teddy. It seemed important, but he didn't want his grandmother there with him."

"Why?" asked Lily.

"No idea," replied Roxanne as she shrugged. "By the way, I got this back for you from Uncle Harry." She handed the training bra over to Lily.

Lily took it back and sighed. She hated the cursed thing. She never wanted to see it again. She looked into the living room and saw Scorpius sitting in one of the chairs with her father, uncle, and Teddy. Her father looked very serious as he did when he was acting as an Auror as did her uncle. Her uncle was taking notes as Teddy kept a protective hand over Scorpius' shoulder. Why were the Aurors so interested in Scorpius? Lily thought about it a bit more. Today was the anniversary of the deaths of Scorpius' parents. It made her wonder if the rumors around school weren't completely off. Were they murdered?

Scorpius wanted to ask about the investigation. He hadn't expected to do it on that day. "There are few questions I do have regarding your father," said Harry.

"What about my father, Mr. Potter?" asked Scorpius.

In an effort to chase down leads, Harry had to know the victims, but there was a block that came up. While everyone knew what Astoria did for a living, no one seemed to have any idea what Draco did for a living. It seemed rather odd. Most people assumed that Draco just lived off of his trust fund and Astoria had brought in more money into the marriage in the form of her work as a musician. However, Draco did have a listed occupation: freelance consultant. Bank records were reviewed it looked as if Draco didn't bring in any form a salary for it. "What did you father do for a living?"

"He was some kind of paper pusher," replied Scorpius. "He always worked away for days. He went away at least a week out of every month when I was younger, before I started going to Hogwarts." His hands rolled into fists on top of his lap.

Harry wasn't sure that this was the right time and place for it. It was Scorpius who wanted to know what was going on. "The investigation is going at a crawl. Your mother was easier to track down information on. Everything about her is practically public record, except for her marriage to your father."

"After the war, my father said that he had changed. He dropped out of society. He said that the selling point of our house, Manderley, was the fact that it had no formal dining room. My father said that meant we never had to host any formal dinner parties."

True, there was very little in the way of public news about Draco Malfoy. He had all but disappeared. Prior to his murder, the only mentions of him were in association with his wife and her career. He had chosen to keep a low profile.

"Harry, I think we can do this later," said Teddy quietly with only the slightest hint of pleading in his voice.

Harry was about ready to drop it. "Are you telling me that you really think that my father did something to deserve it?" asked Scorpius as he kept his hands trained on his fists.

It was at this point that the others were closely watching them. Narcissa kept her hands flushed to the worn table. Her sister placed her hand on top of hers. They couldn't hear what they were saying together.

"No one deserved what happened to your parents," said Harry.

"Don't tell me that you didn't at least once wish my father dead, Mr. Potter," said Scorpius a little too loudly. "You, too, Mr. Weasley."

"What did your father tell you about us?" asked Ron.

Scorpius kept his eyes trained on his fists. He gulped as he said, "My father said that he was a horrible prat in school and he had made a lot of enemies. He made no qualms about that. When I was younger, he set about setting me straight if I ever displayed such behavior." He looked up at Ron with an unreadable expression. "You probably think he hasn't changed at all, Mr. Weasley." He threw a meaningful glance at Harry, "Ask Professor Longbottom about it. He's the one who's a better judge of character than you are, Mr. Potter."

"If that's all, then we can stop," said Teddy. This time his voice left no room for argument. "Scorpius, this isn't the day to do this. You should at least celebrate your birthday a little bit."

"No!" exclaimed Scorpius furiously as he stood up so suddenly that Harry and Ron were unprepared for it. Everyone could hear him now. "Why would I want to celebrate the day my parents were murdered?!" His voice carried much further than he had intended.

Teddy having realized what he had indirectly done, looked stricken as Scorpius closed his eyes. His chest felt heavy again. It had been entirely long of a day for him. "Excuse me, pardon me," he said as he took a deep breath, trying to calm back down. He didn't say another word as he went to the front door and yanked it open, walking out.

Narcissa got up just as Andromeda let go of her hand. She gave a wearily smile to Molly and Arthur. "Thank you for your hospitality. My apologies for our sudden departure," she said politely.

Teddy didn't wait long as he grabbed his coat and followed Scorpius outside into the snow. Narcissa soon joined them outside. The children watched from the windows of the kitchen and the living room. Scorpius had his back turned as Narcissa and Teddy talked. It was a pantomime because no one could hear what was going on. Narcissa hugged Teddy and gave him a kiss. She took Scorpius' hand they apparated away.

Teddy came back inside. He closed the door behind him, but there was no mistaking that he was furious. His hair had gone brown and his eyes were grey like his father's. "Harry, you didn't need to do that to him," he growled. "What is your problem? You, too, Ron?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Harry, not understanding why Teddy was so angry.

"I get it. You hated his father," answered Teddy as he waved his arms around. "But you don't have to grill him like he's responsible for it. He already blames himself for it. I don't blame him for not asking you for any progress on the case because it's fairly obvious to anyone that you still think that Draco Malfoy probably had it coming. He thinks that the whole world is against him. He doesn't ask because he doesn't think anyone actually cares."

"He's the one withholding information," spat Ron. "He knows more than what he's giving."

Harry said, "He's right, Ron." He said it so quietly that others didn't quite hear him. "He mentioned Neville. Maybe we should talk to him." He felt horrible as he nodded.

"He hasn't mentioned Neville at all," said Teddy.

"Um…Professor Longbottom gives Scorpius a lot of detention," interrupted Albus. "He gives him detention two or three times a week."

"Neville?" questioned Ron with disbelief. "Neville Longbottom, your godfather?"

"Yes," nodded Albus. The other school aged children nodded. "He never complains about it. Then again, he barely talks in school. He's always alone."

Teddy's face screwed up into a scowl. "Oh, I see," he muttered. "Him, too? You lot certainly are a credit to being 'better' people than them."

"I'm sorry," said Harry quietly.

Ginny said, "Why don't we all just calm down for a while? We'll talk to Neville tomorrow, Harry. We can discuss then. Teddy, please."

Teddy wasn't hear it, but nodded. With that the Christmas celebration slowly went back to normal, but there was no denying the tension that didn't leave until Teddy and his grandmother left. Harry rubbed his scar with his thumb thinking about the whole thing. There were so many similarities between him and Scorpius Malfoy. He still believed that Draco Malfoy was the key to the whole mystery.

* * *

Author's Note: And the chapter ends with a dramatic fashion. I realized that as I got to this point, Scorpius hasn't been expressing much interest in the murder investigation as he should have. The thing is that grief can last a long time before indignation and the need for justice sets in. Draco's chosen career is unconventional given his past, but not too surprising. Consultant is a very vague term and could mean anything.

Thank you so much for the many reviews. The only reason why I've been able to update semi-regularly is because I have chapters finished ahead of time. The reserve chapters are running out. That means the lags will really start soon.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	19. Part 19: Godric’s Hollow

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Nineteen: Godric's Hollow

The party at the Burrow went on as usual, but that didn't stop the kids from talking about their classmate's unexpected confession. Lily hadn't expect to hear that either. She knew that Scorpius carried something with him everywhere he went. It explained why he rarely smiled. She didn't join in on the conversation that her brothers and cousins were having.

"Blimey, never expected Malfoy to say that," said Fred. "That's a triple hit: Christmas, your birthday, and your parents' deaths all rolled into one day."

"Victoire's birthday's pretty much the same thing," pointed out Louis, referring to Victoire being born on the second anniversary of the final battle of Voldemort. It was the same day that they had won, Fred Weasley died, and her birthday.

Rose, who had thought so badly of Scorpius, felt guilt about it. "He's not that bad. Actually, he's never done anything remotely evil," she admitted.

Albus sipped his hot chocolate. "You know some of the others and the professors don't really give him a chance. And Neville…what a hypocrite. He's the one whose just giving him detention all of the time." His green eyes flashed a bit. The others were taken back because Albus was the Zen one of the group. He sounded disappointed.

James said, "That's why Dad's been telling us to be nice and to leave him alone." He found it strange that his father would have a kinship with Scorpius Malfoy. That was the odd look that he saw when his father looked at Scorpius. It was one of understanding and sympathy. "I wonder how they died. I mean how did they really die. Why the big cover up?"

"Because Scorpius wanted it that way," interrupted Teddy. "He never wanted the whole school knowing that his parents were violently murdered." He looked tired. "I was the one who found him at that hospital after it was over. Even I haven't heard everything, but your father has. Harry won't say what he saw either. But the day he did, your father looked like he was going to be sick. Now if anyone else breathes a word of this outside of this house, I will personally make sure you will regret it." Teddy sounded fierce. To him, Scorpius was more than just his younger cousin. They were linked for the same reason that Harry was linked to them.

They all collectively nodded. Lily stood up and walked up to her father, who had been very quiet since the Malfoys had gone. Her father every once in a while was very quiet. Her mother always said it was because he went to a place that no one else could go. It was a place that none of them could reach; only a few people could. "Daddy, are you all right?" asked Lily, snapping him out of it.

Harry turned a bit. He snapped back to the moment. Lily hadn't called him that since she started in Hogwarts. "I'm all right, Lily," he told her.

"What about Scorpius?" she asked. "Is it really true? Did someone kill his parents?" Her brown eyes were so much like her mother's.

"Yes," answered Harry. "Someone did."

"Are you going to find out who did it? Are you going to catch them?" asked Lily.

"Yes, I will," promised Harry. He looked at her. "Now, Lily, about what happened earlier. I don't want you going around punching people just because they deserve it." He cleared his throat. He softened a bit. "For a second there, I thought you were growing up way too fast. You children need to enjoy this as much as possible. Count your blessings that you can." Lily nodded and gave her father a kiss before going off to her mother.

Ginny and Hermione were talking. Neither of them knew what their husbands knew. Ginny saw Lily come up to them. "What did your father say?" asked Ginny.

"He said that he was looking for the person who did that," answered Lily and she moved on.

Hermione watched her niece go and asked, "That was very odd what happened earlier with her and James. I don't think I ever thought that Lily would do that."

"Do what?" asked Ginny.

"Get so mad she'd actually hit her brother," replied Hermione. She paused. Her eyes widened a bit. "She only got really mad when she saw Scorpius Malfoy."

Ginny cut her off, "Hermione, stop. Please."

Hermoine's eyes widened as she looked at where Lily had gone. "Oh my goodness," she said. "You Weasley girls do start early, don't you?"

"Don't tell Ron or Harry," said Ginny. "Although, I think her opinion of him might have changed."

"I don't know, but there is the saying that girls tend to fall for men like their fathers," said Hermione with a smile.

"I didn't know that your father was mad like my brother," laughed Ginny. The two women started laughing.

Meanwhile, another conversation was taking place, this time it was between the oldest Weasley grandchild and one of the younger grandchildren. She had received an interesting letter from her earlier, but now she wanted some confirmation. "Roxanne, can I talk to you for a minute?" asked Victoire. Roxanne was playing a game of chess with Molly. Roxanne looked up at her oldest cousin and nodded. Lucy took over as Victoire led her away.

"Let's talk outside," said Victoire.

Roxanne gave her a questioning look, but followed her outside. "What is it?" she asked.

"The letter you sent me about a boy you liked?" asked Victoire. "It wasn't you, was it?" She crossed her arms over her chest as she gave Roxanne an accusatory glance.

Roxanne tilted her chin upwards. She looked like her mother at that moment. "I never said it was me specifically, now did I?" she said.

"It's Lily, right?" asked Victoire. "I saw how she looked at Scorpius earlier when he walked by her." Her light blue eyes lit up. She grinned, "And to think, he said that none of the girls notice him."

"I think it's the other way around," said Roxanne. She shrugged, "Of course, now we know why he sort of keeps to himself. Teddy's really overprotective of him. He's more protective of him than he is of James and Albus and that's saying something."

"And Lily doesn't think she has a chance," sighed Victoire. "After what just happened with the bra and all, Scorpius was the one who got James to get up there and apologize to Lily." She folded her arms over her chest thoughtfully. "You know I have some inside information on Scorpius through Teddy."

"But Lily doesn't want Teddy to know because she doesn't want her father to know," said Roxanne.

Victoire put her arm around Roxanne's shoulder, "Don't worry about it, mon petite cousin. I have my ways. And you are going to be my inside person. I need you to let me know what happens inside school."

Roxanne beamed and agreed, "Deal!" Victoire winked at her and they shook hands to seal the deal. They started giggling and went back inside.

***

Neville Longbottom hadn't expected to receive a present from Scorpius Malfoy at all. It was a top of the line dictation set. He read a note that was attached to it and he was trying it out while his wife and daughter marveled at the haul of presents. Alice playing with a new doll as her mother made a move to put away all of the trash.

"Oh, who gave you that, Nev?" asked Hannah.

"It's a gift from one of my students," replied Neville. Now he was a popular teacher, but none of his students ever thought of sending him presents. "It's a dictation set. I can use it to write my book."

"What a thoughtful present. I wish I had thought of that," said Hannah as she admired it. She saw the letter on her husband's lap. "This came from Scorpius Malfoy?"

"Yes, it did. After all the drills I've put him through, I'm more shocked than you are," answered Neville.

Hannah knew that her husband was helping Scorpius. She owned and ran the Leaky Cauldron after Tom retired. She was the one who received the letter for Neville from Draco and had been there when they had met. She wasn't in the meeting, but she knew about it. She was the one who woke Neville up early on the morning when it was first published that Draco and his wife were dead.

Ally, as Alice liked to be called, padded over to her father and mother. She was just four years old. Neville and Hannah had to wait until their jobs had settled down before they really started their family. It just took a bit longer than most couples because of Neville's career change and Hannah's acquisition of the Leaky Cauldron. "Daddy, what's that?" she asked.

"It's a dictation set, Ally," replied Neville. He moved the letter off and put it back into its envelope, then lifted Ally to his lap. He explained, "Now all you have to do is tell it something and it will right it down. Do you want to have a go?" Ally nodded. Neville used his wand to activate it. "Go."

"Hello!" she shouted. Hannah winced as she shook her head. "My name is Ally!"

"No need to shout, Ally," laughed Neville as he used his wand to stop the dictation. The quill had written down exactly what Ally had said. "See, it works."

Ally wrinkled her nose at it as she informed him, "Daddy, I can't read. What's the point?"

Neville groaned, having forgotten that Ally was only four, but then he laughed. "It just writes down exactly what you just said. It makes easier for me to write my book and take notes. It was a gift from one of my best students."

"Are we going to see Lily, Jamie, and Al?" asked Ally. She was really excited to see the Potters. "Are Rosie and Hughie going to be there, too?"

"Yes, and yes," replied Neville with a laugh. He and Hannah had worried about Ally being an only child, but as long as she had other children to look up to, it wasn't a big deal. Ally was allowed to tag along with Rose and Lily. "Now, Ally Gator, help your mummy clean up and then we'll decide what we'll bring to the Potters and the Weasleys."

***

Before company arrived, something had been bothering Harry Potter about his youngest child. He noticed that she had sighed a lot since the end of the party. He waited the day after Christmas, while the children were still asleep. He offered Ginny a cup of coffee as they stared out at their snow covered yard. The snowman that Lily made every year was covered in a layer of it, leaving it as a large single lump in the yard.

"Ginny, what happened back at the Burrow with Lily?" asked Harry.

Ginny took a sip of her coffee. "Harry, it was just growing pains. That's all," she said.

"Growing pains?" asked Harry unconvinced. He put his mug down. "And about the bra, why?"

"In case you haven't noticed, my love, Lily is a girl," replied Ginny going deliberately slow as if she was explaining it to a small child.

"I know she's a girl!" exclaimed Harry. "It's just that she's only eleven."

"She turns twelve very soon," pointed out Ginny.

"It's just that I didn't think that she'd grow up so fast," he muttered as he started to look depressed. His shoulders slumped a bit.

Ginny decided that it was for the best not to say the other thing she knew about Lily. Her daughter hadn't really talked about a certain Slytherin after his sudden departure. She seemed to be more pensive about her crush. It was a lot of information to learn about a person in a matter of minutes. She saw herself when she was younger sometimes watching Harry when he looked so far away. In the present moment, she reached over and kissed her husband on the lips.

Harry hadn't expected it, but it was a welcomed distraction. He kissed her back. They parted after a moment. "What was that for?" he asked breathlessly.

"For being the man that you are," she replied simply. He returned her smile.

Lily was the first one up. She was always up on her own and then Albus. James liked to sleep in longer than they did, yet on days like Christmas he was always the first one up. She went down to join her parents. She had a restless night's sleep. Lily helped herself to some food and a glass of orange juice. Her father liked the tartness and it was always well stocked in the house. It was an acquired taste, but her father had grown up on it. Out of the three children, only Lily liked it. James and Albus found it too sour, preferring pumpkin juice instead.

"How did you sleep, Lily?" asked Harry as he turned his attention to the other girl in his life.

"I'm fine, Dad," replied Lily. "So, what are we doing today?"

"Have you forgotten? The Longbottoms are coming today and so are your Uncle Ron, Aunt, Hermione, and cousins," Ginny reminded her.

"Really?" brightened up Lily. "Hugo's coming?"

"You saw Hugo yesterday, Lil," laughed Harry. "Honestly, it's a wonder you children have made any friends outside of the family. It's hard to get into your little groups."

Lily grinned as she started to dig in. Her thoughts weren't completely removed from Scorpius, but she knew that Hugo had spent some time with him and their grandfather in the shed at the Burrow. She wanted to know what Hugo had done with Scorpius and more importantly what their grandfather had thought of him.

Before long, the day really started as James and Albus raced down stairs in a whirlwind. Everyone scrambled to get ready. By the time that the doorbell was rang, the Potter house was being cleaned up by spells and the kids. Ginny was busy trying to get the food ready as Harry supervised their children.

"Hurry up!" he ordered as he went to go answer the doorbell.

"Hullo Ron," said Harry.

"It's only Uncle Ron," sighed James. "Dad, you made us hurry up for nothing."

"Only?" echoed Ron as he went up to his nephew. He ruffled his nephew's hair, who looked up at him indignantly. "I feel so welcomed, Jamie."

Hermione came in. "Aunt Hermione, hello," said Lily as Rose and Hugo brought up the rear.

They exchanged their usual hellos and greetings. Ginny eventually joined them and somehow, Rose and Hugo were put to work with their cousins by their mother and aunt. By the time the Longbottoms arrived, the house was fit for guests outside of family. The Potter and Weasley children were a bit disgruntled by then. No one more than Albus.

Neville, Hannah, and Ally came in. Most of the children had a hard time warming up to Neville because they were used to seeing him in professor robes. He was more formal in school, but he loosened up around his friends. Neville was particularly close to Ginny because of her sixth year and his seventh year.

Albus, who normally was friendly with Neville, was cold to him. Neville didn't notice it at first. As the adults for the gathered while the children played, the casual, initial chit-chat, the talk turned towards more serious things.

"Scorpius Malfoy was invited over to the Burrow for Christmas," started Harry, trying to see Neville's reaction.

It was predictable. Neville looked surprised just as he did when he had received the dictation set from Scorpius. "Good, I'm glad," he said, making a very fast recovery.

"Teddy mentioned that you've been giving him a lot of detention in school," said Ron.

"Only because he needs it," said Neville.

Hannah rolled her eyes. "Oh for Merlin's sake, Neville, don't pretend you don't know what they're accusing you of."

"What did Scorpius tell you?" asked Neville.

"He said that you met with his father two weeks before the attack," replied Harry. Ginny and Hermione looked at Neville.

"Yes," replied Neville. "Two weeks before the attack Draco Malfoy sent a letter to meet with him at the Leaky Cauldron rather than the school."

"I was there when Draco Malfoy came," said Hannah. She paused and said, "You should have seen Astoria Malfoy. She was beautiful. Easily the most beautiful person I've ever seen." She glanced at her husband to see if he objected to her input, when he didn't, she continued, "He was civil and amiable, but he seemed troubled. He came early and ordered a cup of tea, but never drank it. Astoria looked just as anxious, and tried to keep Draco calm. If only something could have been done before what happened last year."

Neville said, "Draco asked to meet with me. He said that it was very important. He asked me to take an Unbreakable Vow."

That stunned the table into silence with the Potters and Weasleys looking shocked, but Hannah didn't. She knew about it. She put her hand over her husband's hand. "An Unbreakable Vow?" asked Ron. "And he asked you?"

"What were the terms?" asked Hermione. She was a lawyer in the Ministry after all.

Neville replied, "He said that he needed to take some precautions. He knew that something was coming. I told him that he should go to the Ministry, but he refused. I asked him why he asked me of all people. Malfoy said that he needed someone with honor. Someone who would keep his word and that being formally an Auror made me the best choice. Apparently, Scoprius spoke highly of me. Malfoy said he wouldn't have asked if it wasn't important." He paused. "I tried to talk him out of it more, but Malfoy reasoned and said that if nothing should happen to him or his wife, then I would have nothing to worry about. It was the way he acted. I couldn't refuse him not after he had humbled himself to even consider it."

"So the exact terms were that you were to protect Scorpius, and for that you were forced to take an Unbreakable Vow," said Harry.

"I thought that Draco was being paranoid," said Neville. "I didn't think it would come to anything."

"He was so desperate to protect his son, he would ask a former enemy to take a vow to do it," said Ginny quietly.

Harry asked another question, "There is something else. Scorpius said that on the first day of school, Lucius Malfoy came and almost physically assaulted him. You intervened, but he said something happened."

"That. Well, it's only really a theory, but it has to do with the way that Draco Malfoy died," said Neville slowly. "When he died, he was protecting his son. That old blood magic spell was invoked. It was done on purpose. There's a protective spell on Scorpius. A shield probably more powerful than the one that your mother put on you, Harry, when Voldemort killed her." It was like dropping another bomb.

"Don't be afraid. I need you to be brave," whispered Harry as he looked down at his plate. "Those were Draco Malfoy's last words to his son. I saw it in the Pensieve. He was more scared that his son would die than he was for himself."

"He made sure that his son would live," said Neville. "On the night that Lucius Malfoy grabbed Scorpius, a jolt came out of no where. It practically knocked Lucius Malfoy down. I wrestled with what I had vowed to do for months after his parents died. I realized that I needed to do something."

"What did you do?" asked Harry.

"Scorpius needed some guidance. He didn't have any friends in the school, and he keeps to himself even now. He was so unprepared to defend himself as well. Larkin was failing him in DADA, so I told him that I would tutor him. I would get him up to speed with the others," answered Neville. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were a little surprised.

"You weren't giving him detentions at all," laughed Ginny. "Those were tutoring sessions?"

Neville shook his head. "I'm head of Gryffindor. And he's in Slytherin. He was right. There are certain expectations that people have of us. So giving him excess amounts of detentions was more believable than helping him. Scorpius is a brilliant kid. He needed someone to talk to. The other Slytherins despise him and shun him, and the other houses don't like him because he's a Malfoy."

"Scorpius trusts Neville. He even sent Neville a present for Christmas," said Hannah. She was proud of her husband for being a wonderful man. "Neville is doing what he promised to do. Scorpius isn't alone at the school because of Neville."

Ginny said, "Not everyone dislikes him." She could think of at least one person who liked Scorpius.

"He needs to make more of an effort," said Neville. "I told him he should try to make some friends. He seemed completely clueless about it. I'm a little worried."

"It's like you agreed to be his guardian," said Ron.

Neville took a sip of tea and set the cup back on the saucer. "I suppose I did. I'm the one who keeps an eye on him in school. He reminds me of me. He loves his grandmother, but he's a bit afraid of her. But then again, Narcissa Malfoy is just as formidable as my grandmother."

"Yes, she is," agreed Harry. "She actually threatened him with the Imperius Curse if he didn't get something to eat at the Burrow."

"Perhaps, we should have him at the Leaky Cauldron," said Hannah. "I haven't met him yet, Nev. It's like you went and adopted a child without telling me."

The others laughed as Neville shook his head, but joined along. He became serious again, "So what happened at the Burrow? Was his grandmother with him?"

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny gave him and Hannah a summary of the events at the Burrow. Ron and Ginny's father was really impressed with Scorpius and practically offered an open invitation to have him over again. Neville and Hannah were laughing at the funny bits, but at the last part, Neville looked worried. "I'll have to talk to him about this when we get back to school," said Neville. "I'm not saying he listens to me. I have a feeling that I may have stepped in when it was good to do so. He's got a bit of the devil in him."

The Aurors raised their eyebrows at him. "Well, he is a Malfoy," pointed out Ron. "No matter how different he is from his grandfather."

"He provokes fights in his own house," said Neville in an exasperated voice. "He made them mad enough at him for them to hurl hexes and curses at him one night. Wrecked their common room in the process."

Hannah looked horrified. Hermoine said, "Wait. Rose did write about it. The Slytherin common room was wrecked and almost the entire house was put under house arrest afterwards. Scorpius did that?"

Neville sighed. He didn't know whether he should be proud of Scorpius or not. He told everyone what Scorpius had done. "So, basically, he used the protective shield that his father died to give him to destroy their house' common room, I have never been so angry at a student before," concluded Neville.

"And they couldn't prove it?" asked Harry. "Wow. I wonder what his father would have said."

Ron was grinning. "You got to admire the kid a little bit. He's smart enough not to get caught. He really didn't draw his wand once?"

"Not once," confirmed Neville. "I have a feeling though that if no one watches over him, he'd become an anarchist. He doesn't like to follow the set rules or follow convention at all. Maybe rules of etiquette and manners, but those were practically drilled into him by his mother and reinforced by his father." The last bit he added with some thought.

"This coming from you," said Ginny. "Neville, you were leading the resistance in school on your last year. You've probably rubbed off on him."

"I did not," denied Neville defensively. Hannah laughed. "I haven't told him anything. He told me about the kind of man his father was, and it looks like Draco changed himself. He's the one who encouraged him to think on his own. I'm just trying to contain the damage that he can do."

"It's probably a good thing that he's not really friends with James, Louis, or Fred," chuckled Ron, "because that would be too dangerous for anyone to handle, even you, Neville."

"That's another reason why no one should mess with him," added Harry. This was something that they could all agree upon.

* * *

Author's Note: No Scorpius in this chapter just talk of him. His ears must be burning.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	20. Part 20: The Entryway

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Twenty: The Entryway

School resumed the second week of January. Scorpius wondered what would happen. On the first day back, for a change of pace, he was the one looking over at the Gyffindor table. The only person who was looking at him was Lily.

Lily was startled when she saw Scorpius looking at her. Their eyes locked for a moment. She blushed and he broke the stare first. Scorpius had no idea what that was about. Perhaps Teddy was right; girls were too advanced for Scorpius' limited social abilities. At this point, Scorpius was thinking that Lily was just naturally rosy in complexion. This was the first time that Scorpius had a chance to really look at her.

He saw that her hair was a deeper color than her brother, James. Her face was an oval shape and her nose was small. She had a little less freckles than James. Her eyes were the color of milk chocolate. Still she was two years younger than him and she was a Potter. That put her off limits. Not that Scorpius thought of her that way. It just made him uncomfortable that she was staring at him.

Breakfast ended, and the time for class. Scorpius focused on what he had some control over. He went through the day as usual until his Charms class. After Flitwicks's lecture and demonstration, they broke off into their pairs. Scorpius did notice that Rose Weasley wasn't as hostile as she typically was towards him.

Albus and Scorpius worked on a summoning charm. They summoned a ball back and forth between them. It was a welcomed distraction. Neither boy said a word other than the incantation, "_Accio_." At one point, Fred got hit by the ball in the eye, interrupting the class in his usual dramatic fashion.

"Professor Flitwick," said Rose, "Fred blinded himself."

Albus started laughing because sometimes Rose sounded like her father. Fred was clutching his eye. "Ouch!" he muttered. "That really hurt. Doesn't anyone care?"

"That was your fault," pointed out Rose in a matter-of-fact tone. "I told you so. You're making the motion too wide. We're only three feet apart from each other."

Fred scowled at her. Scorpius joined Albus in laughter. "Miss Weasley, maybe you should take Mr. Weasley to the infirmary," said Professor Flitwick.

"I'm all right," groaned Fred. "I don't need to go. Besides she'll complain about having to leave class early." Professor Flitwick moved on to supervise someone else. "Now I know how James felt when Lily socked him."

"Oh that way funny," said Rose as she laughed. Albus was grinning as Scorpius smiled a bit. "Oh, but we were sworn to secrecy," she said. "James doesn't want the school to know about her right cross, and Lily doesn't want the reason for it to go around either."

"Thanks, Weasley," said Scorpius. "Let's get back to work, Potter."

"You're not mad at Teddy, are you?" asked Albus.

Scorpius shrugged and answered, "He didn't mean any harm and there are important things to hold a grudge over. Teddy gave me a solar powered battery for my remote control helicopter."

"A what?" asked Fred. He grew up in mainly a wizard household.

"Back to work everyone," piped up Professor Flitwick. They went back to work. Albus and Scorpius were able to finish practicing without any problems. By the end of class, Fred was concocting a story about his black eye. For the next few classes, Fred told people that Albus did it. Albus was so annoyed that he was ready to really give Fred a black eye.

This was the mood that Albus was in by the time they were in Herbology. "Welcome back everybody," said Professor Longbottom in his jovial manner. "I hope that everyone had a good, restful holiday."

He looked out at his students. He observed two of his students closely. First Scorpius, who seemed outwardly okay, but there was Albus. Professor Longbottom could have sworn that Albus was glaring at him during his visit over the holidays. There was no denying that Albus was indeed angry at Professor Longbottom over something. He made a mental note to speak with him after class.

At the end of class, Professsor Longbottom gave out homework assignments and returned the graded ones. He dismissed the class and gestured for Albus to come to him. On the way out of the door, Professor Longbottom reminded Scorpius, "Detention tonight."

Scorpius nodded, "Yes, sir." He walked out.

"Now, Al, what seems to be the matter?" asked Professor Longbottom, turning his attention to his godson.

"Why do you always give him detention?" asked Albus.

Professor Longbottom blinked in surprise. Albus went on, "He doesn't do anything wrong and you just keep giving him detention. You're always saying that we have to be fair, but you're a hypocrite like Tate."

Professor Longbottom heard the disappointment in Albus' voice. He smiled a bit, but stopped when he saw Albus' renewed glared at him. "I know that he let it slip that his parents didn't die in an accident," said Professor Longbottom. "I've known what happened for a while now."

"Then why are you being a prat?" demanded Albus.

Professor Longbottom couldn't help it as he gave out a hearty laugh. "And here I worried he had no friends. Al, I've been tutoring him. I promised his father I would watch over him in school." He stopped smiling at that point. "Is that why you've been mad at me?"

Albus nodded, feeling ashamed for doubting his godfather. "So his dad told you to watch over him?"

Professor Longbottom nodded. "Draco Malfoy died protecting Scorpius. Both he and his wife died for him."

"Just like my dad's parents?"

"Yes," answered Professor Longbottom. "Scorpius doesn't want people to feel sorry for him."

Albus nodded, "That's what Teddy said."

"You know being friends with him won't hurt you," said Professor Longbottom.

"He's not so bad," admitted Albus. "My granddad likes him. So does Hugo. My gran has a soft spot for orphans."

"You're worried if your dad will mind?" asked Professor Longbottom. He gently smiled. "There was a bit of history between your dads, but after the war, they hadn't fought each other since. Your father won't mind at all, Al."

Albus wasn't so sure still. "He's in Slytherin."

"And I'm head of Gryffindor and I've spent loads of time with him. Albus, you need to get over these issues about houses. Every house is good and bad. Teddy's grandmother was in Slytherin and you like her."

"It would be nice to have a friend outside of the family," admitted Albus.

Professor Longbottom clapped his hand on Albus' shoulder. "Now go to class before I'll have to give you detention." Albus nodded and dashed off to his class.

***

Professor Chang passed out the essays that were graded over the break. The last one in the stack was Scorpius'. She gave him a smile as she returned it to him. "Good work as usual, Mr. Malfoy," she praised.

Scorpius only looked at his returned assignments if there were mistakes. He rarely re-read old essays. He read the note at the bottom. In Professor Chang's neat script, it said, "Excellent work. It is good that you're with us." He rolled it up and put it in his bag.

It was time for classes to be over for the day. Scorpius didn't go back to the common room, knowing that most of his housemates would be there. Instead, he made his way outside. Everywhere he went, he noticed how people seem to move in their cliques. Why did Scorpius feel more alone in school with hundreds of people than he did at home with just his grandmother, aunt, or cousin for company?

Scorpius was just about outside when he ran into the other Divination teacher, Firenze. The Divination Class ran a little over, which tended to happen when he was teaching it. The proud centaur regarded Scorpius with wise eyes. "You are a child of the stars," he said. Scorpius said nothing. The centaur lowered his fore legs and Scorpius stood his ground. "You have crossed the veil before. Yes, it shows as clearly as your face."

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Scorpius steely.

The centaur took a step away from him. "I did not mean any offense, child." His voice rumbled a bit. He bowed to Scorpius. With that, the majestic creature backed out of the way to allow Scorpius through.

Fred and Albus were two of the students who stayed and watched. It was hard to believe that a centaur would bow to a human boy. Scorpius returned the bow and hurried outside. "Come on, Fred," urged Albus.

Fred shrugged and they went outside to join Scorpius. He was in the process of settling on the grass when they found him. He used his outer robes as a blanket to sit on. He looked somewhat surprised to see the Gryffindors approaching him. He gave them a questioning glance as Fred looked to his cousin. Albus said, "Do you mind if we join you?"

"Why?" asked Scorpius.

Albus dropped his things on the grass. He shrugged and sat down. "The war's been over for over twenty years. If you don't have a problem learning about Muggles, then we shouldn't have a problem with you, right Fred?"

"Right," mumbled Fred, who was still standing.

Scorpius warned, "I'm still a Malfoy. I'm not sure you want to test out that theory, Potter."

"Sit down, Fred, you looked stupid," ordered Albus as he yanked down Fred's bag, forcing him to sit down.

"Okay, okay," said Fred as he sat.

"What is it that you want, Potter?" asked Scorpius in a polite voice. Before, in his first year, people liked to be pretend to be nice before doing something nasty to him. He was naturally suspicious. "You want to know about my parents?"

"No," replied Albus sincerely. "Look, Malfoy, I'm not here because I'm sorry for you. You and Teddy are pretty close. If he thinks you're cool, then you are."

"Jealous?" asked Scorpius with a smirk.

"A little," admitted Albus.

"We're really sorry about what happened to your mum and dad," said Fred. "Believe me, no one in our family said they deserved it."

"Teddy made us swear that we wouldn't talk about it," said Albus.

"And if you want we can always prank Neville for all the detentions he keeps giving you," offered Fred.

Albus laughed, "Not a good idea to do that."

"That won't be necessary," added Scorpius with a smile. "Professor Longbottom is helping me with DADA lessons."

"DADA?" asked Fred in amazed voice. "But he teaches Herbology."

"Fred, he was an Auror," Albus reminded him.

"Oh yeah, forgot about that," chuckled Fred. "So did you learn anything that Larkin isn't teaching us?"

"Just catching up on the practical end of things," revealed Scorpius. "I really slacked off last year after Christmas. My dad would have had a fit." He quieted for a bit. "If he knew."

"My dad's the same way with the DADA stuff," said Albus with understanding. "He really reamed into James about last year. Fred's lucky; his father goofed off in school so he's off the hook about his grades."

"Not true. My mum won't let me get away with anything," said Fred. "She knows every trick before I can play it."

The cousins glanced at Scorpius who had stopped talking. He didn't have much to offer or rather he didn't feel like doing it. "My dad is very good at his job," said Albus. "He'll find the person who did it. If he said he will, he will."

Scorpius hardly ever asked if there was any progress on the investigation. He was afraid to ask and afraid to find out what else they had discovered about his father. There was so much that he didn't know about his own father other than what people had told him. There were so many sides and angles about his father that he had never seen.

***

Scorpius had expected the usual tutoring session with Professor Longbottom. The sessions were a mixture of practical work, reading assignments, and very few essays thrown in. It was a lot of practical work. Professor Longbottom was as exacting as he normally was in Herbology. He gave Scorpius constant, meaningful praise, but critiqued him when necessary.

Every once in a while, they just talked. There were few people that Scorpius could speak to freely. "This will be a short session today, Scorpius," said Professor Longbottom. "We just got back, so we'll just take it easy tonight."

Scorpius nodded. "Did Mr. Potter talk to you?" he asked.

"Harry?"

Scorpius nodded. He said, "Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley were asking about what my dad did for a living. I'm not sure." The question had bothered Scorpius. Most children had a ready answer for that simple question. He didn't have it regarding his father. "My father didn't need to work, but he did work."

"Your family moved around a lot, right?" asked Professor Longbottom.

"Yes, Professor, but that was for my mum's career. My dad went along with it, but he didn't mind," replied Scorpius. "He said that when I started school, I wouldn't get the chance to travel as much."

Professor Longbottom had long concluded that the Draco Malfoy who attended Hogwarts with him wasn't the same person who eventually became Scorpius' father. The war had changed a lot of people. It had given Professor Longbottom the confidence he had lacked as a child. In Draco Malfoy's case, he became a humble and tolerant person. A man who laid down his pride and his life for his son. Professor Longbottom could see that Scorpius was having trouble reconciling the boy his father had been to the man he had become.

"He did a lot bad things, didn't he?" said Scorpius. "He let the Death Eaters into the school. He had the Dark Mark on his wrist. Everyone says I look like him. I have his eyes, his hair, and I'm also left handed. What if the killer did it because of what he did before?"

Professor Longbottom could see the fear in Scorpius' eyes. "You are you own person, Scorpius," he could him firmly. "You said that your father always encouraging you to think for yourself. Yes, it's true. You look like him, but no, you aren't him. When I look at you, I only see you." Scorpius' hand rested over his scar. It was becoming a habit for him to do it. "Has your scar been bothering you?" he asked.

Scorpius replied, "Yes. It bothered me on Christmas morning." He told the professor and he concluded, "The pain's gone away for now."

"The scar is a magical one, Scorpius. The pain you're feeling is telling you something," said Professor Longbottom. "Harry Potter's scar used to hurt when Voldemort did something. Before, it was helpful because it warned Harry of danger coming, but then Voldemort used it against him later."

"Are you telling me that the person who murdered my parents is still out there killing people and I can feel it?" demanded Scorpius.

Professor Longbottom sighed and nodded. "I have a bad feeling about the attack you had on Christmas morning," he said worriedly, "but so far nothing was reported."

"It took a week before Teddy found me," Scorpius grimly reminded him. "If I had died, it would have taken longer."

Professor Longbottom wished he could tell Scorpius he had nothing to worry about. The truth was that it was more than likely that he the killer was still out there and Scorpius wasn't safe as long as he or she was out there masked and lying in wait.

* * *

Author's Note: Scorpius has more coming his way. Draco's handness was never revealed in the story explicitly. Left handness has long been associated with bad people because it's a rare thing. Half my immediate family is left handed. I wouldn't say my mom is evil, so it's just used in this story as an added detail. Yeah, it's a lot of pointless work to add details like that, but I don't believe in making my writings any less than what it would be if it were original work.

I decided to post this chapter early because it does feel like a bit of a filler chapter anyway and it was short anyway. I also wanted to give it as a present to the readers. It's my birthday and I figured the 20th chapter going up is just right.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	21. Part 21: Goyle Manor

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Twenty-One: The Goyle Manor

Ron Weasley received an urgent call from the shipping docks in London. He had been called to come down to the offices of Gentry and Goyle Ltd. This was the company in charge of large shipments like store stock for many businesses in London. Gregory Goyle was one of the owners. The call had come from Goyle's business partner, Roderick Gentry, reporting that Goyle had failed to return from his extended holiday.

"Tea?" offered Gentry.

"No, thank you," replied Ron. "So you haven't heard from Goyle since before Christmas?"

Gentry shook his head. "Goyle is a nose to the grindstone sort of fellow. I'm the one who handles the finances and the planning, but he made sure that things were running smoothly. It's not like him to do this without warning. I've been trying to reach him, but no replies."

"How long was he supposed to be away?"

"Just until last week."

"Have you been to his house?" Gentry shook his head. Ron couldn't ignore the bad feeling he had when Gentry first mentioned Goyle. "I'll go to his home. It might be nothing at all, Mr. Gentry," said Ron.

"Thank you. With any luck, we can laugh about it later as an embarrassing mistake," said Gentry.

Ron nodded and left. He had Goyle's home address and apparated there. The Goyles lived in a posh estate that Goyle had inherited from his parents. Ron was able to get through the front gates without using any spells. He saw a children's play set out just around the corner from the front door. Eerily, the swings moved on their own.

He knocked on the door and called out. No one answered. He did it again and still no answer. Ron tired the knob but it was locked. Ron used his wand to unlock the door. The cold air from inside the house enveloped him immediately. It was warmer outside with the snow than it was inside. There was a fireplace in the entryway that was extinguished. Further in, Ron saw the den with a Christmas tree still up with decorations with gifts wrapped.

The next thing that Ron saw made his heart stop. It was a house elf dead on the marble floor. It looked like it had been running from something. There were two deep wounds in its back. Ron went towards the direction that the house elf ran from. He came to a staircase and proceeded upstairs.

It was then that Ron's nose detected a faint odor. He recognized it as the stench of death. Slowly, he saw a door that was open slightly. Ron drew out his wand and slowly pushed it open. It was one of Goyle's daughters. The child looked like she was asleep, but she had the same wound in her chest as the house elf did. Ron backed out and went back downstairs. He lit the fireplace to call for back up.

Ron didn't have to wait long as the other Aurors came through the fireplace. They quickly secured the scene and Ron showed them to the house elf.

Harry and Ron went upstairs and they discovered the bodies of the Goyles: two girls, his wife, and him. His body was found just a bit outside of his second daughter's. His wife's body was still in their bed with a hole in her head.

"Harry, look at the pattern," said Ron. "It looks just like the ones on the Malfoys. Like Muggle gunshots, except coming from inside the body."

Harry assessed the room of the second daughter. "It looks like Goyle was running here to protect her." They had to step over Goyle's body to get into the girl's room. With glove covered hands, Harry lifted the sheet that was on top of the girl. There was a hole in it and it was soaked in blood. "The killer positioned her body like this." He was referring to the way the little girl's face was turned to the side.

"He was checking to see if she was alive," said Ron. "He hexed first, and then checked to see if they were dead."

"Just the girls. They were probably killed first," confirmed Harry. "Then Goyle's wife. He didn't know that his daughters were already dead. The killer let him get her first before finishing him off."

"And the house elf was probably trying to get away," summed up Ron.

"It's too soon to tell if these murders are tied to the Malfoys."

Ron shook his head. "Goyle's wife, Daphne, is or rather, was the older sister of Astoria Malfoy. This little girl is Scorpius' cousin and Goyle was his uncle." He had seen he pictures in the family room.

Harry sighed as he raked his fingers through his hair. "Goyle's parents are dead. So are the Greengrasses. That leaves, Scorpius."

"This time the killer made sure that he didn't leave anyone behind," said Ron. "He also did it knowing that the Goyles wouldn't be missed for a while. The last time anyone saw him was at a Christmas Eve party."

Harry left the child's room unable to take it much longer. He stepped over Goyle's lifeless body and Ron followed suit. Harry went to the bedroom where the door was left ajar just as it was when Goyle probably ran out of there to get to his daughters. Daphne Goyle was lying in repose. Her hair was dark brown, compared to her sister's honeyed locks. "The killer wanted Goyle to suffer," he whispered. "He wanted him to see that his family was dead before he finished him off."

"We've got to clear out the bodies," said Ron. "And notify the next of kin. I'll double check who it is."

In the next few hours, the Aurors moved the bodies to St. Mungo's for further autopsy and did a sweep of the house to find evidence. Unfortunately, Daphne Goyle's next of kin was listed as her husband and her sister. There was only one family member left. Harry volunteered to go to the school to tell Scorpius and Ron was lead investigator on the Goyles' murders.

***

Scorpius came down for breakfast a bit late. To his curiosity, both the Headmistress and Professor Longbottom approached him. They both looked very serious. Lily watched from the Gryffindor table as they came up to him. "Mr. Malfoy, please come with us," instructed Professor McGonagall. "You will not be attending classes today."

Looking around him, Scorpius held the strap to his bag closer to his body. "Why, Headmistress?" he asked. He looked to Professor Longbottom. "Did something happen? Did I do something wrong?"

"Harry's here. He needs to speak with you," answered Professor Longbottom. Several heads from the Gryffindor table shot up. "You haven't done anything wrong."

Scorpius followed them out of the Great Hall. "What's Dad doing here?" asked James out loud. "Why'd he need to talk to Malfoy?"

"Probably about his parents," said Albus because it was the only thing he could think of.

"Do think we'll see Dad?" asked Lily.

"It sounds like he's here on official business, so I'm not sure," answered James.

Roxanne knew that Lily's concern was Scorpius. He looked like he was going to be sick as he was escorted out. Whatever it was, he was forced to skip breakfast and that was never a good sign. Scorpius felt like he was being led away to executed. "Why is Mr. Potter here?" asked Scorpius.

"I don't know myself," replied Professor Longbottom. They went to the Headmistress' office.

"Sherbet lemon," she said for the password.

Meanwhile, Harry was having a moment of nostalgia as he looked around the office. The portrait of Albus Dumbledore smiled at him with twinkling eyes. Professor McGonagall kept some of the strange objects of her predecessor. Harry's eye was drawn to the stand that Fawkes once used. It was still there even though it was empty.

Harry returned to the moment at hand when he heard the door open. Scorpius looked impassive, but his grey eyes gave him away as he looked Harry's dead on. He clutched the strap on his bag nervously. For a moment, Harry could almost see Draco's anxious face back on their sixth year. "Hello Scorpius," said Harry, keeping his voice leveled.

"Hello Mr. Potter," managed Scorpius.

"Have a seat," said Harry as he put his hand on one of the chairs in front of his desk. Neville grabbed a nearby chair as Harry took the other chair in front of the desk. Professor McGonagall took hers behind the desk.

"I wanted to tell you this before a statement is released to the press," said Harry. "Yesterday afternoon, your aunt and her family were found dead."

Scorpius was stunned as the words registered. "All of them?" he whispered. "Di and Annie, too?"

"Yes," nodded Harry. "And your uncle."

"I haven't seen them since after the burial," said Scorpius. His eyes were starting to sting. "How did it happen? When?"

"It happened in their house over the course of the holiday. I don't have the complete report yet, so I can't release those details to you."

Scorpius buried his head in his hands. "It happened around four in the morning on Christmas Day. That's when it happened," he said through his hands. Harry was startled that he knew this. Before he could ask, Scorpius said, "Because that's when the bloody scar felt like it was on fire." He lowered his hands as he yanked up his shirt and showed the star shaped scar. "It felt like someone stuck a red hot poker through it and twisted it. It was the person who killed my parents, too, wasn't it? I know it was! Don't lie to me!"

Harry swallowed hard. Professor McGonagall and Professor Longbottom had never seen Scorpius have an outburst like that. "We suspect it was," said Harry quietly.

Scorpius let go of his shirt as he looked away from him. "They were just four and six years old. Diana just learned how write her name. She signed a card for me. And Annie just put a big A for her name," he cried. He hadn't been by to see his aunt and her family. It was too hard to because she had the same eyes as his mother and her smile as well. It was unbearable for him. He hadn't picked out any presents for them because his grandmother had sent along sweets and other desserts to them. There were presents that they had sent him that he had opened, even a birthday present with a card that they all had signed.

"We are doing everything we can," said Harry. "The investigation is just starting."

This was enough to anger Scorpius who snapped at him, "It's been a year, Mr. Potter. Are you really doing your job or are you just saying that? Are you doing everything you can because you want to or are you just saying that? Or maybe you don't care because it was my father who died and you despised each other. How many more people from my family have to die before you do something?! Or do you ever care?!"

"Mr. Malfoy, that was uncalled for," said Professor McGonagall, disbelieving that the boy she knew who had such terrific manners would suddenly say that to the man who was trying to help him.

There was such fury in Scorpius' grey eyes. Harry had never even seen that in Draco's. Professor Longbottom got out of his chair and put a comforting hand on Scorpius' shoulder. Scorpius held in all of that anger for so long that it was like a volcano erupting. His face was red as he rubbed his eyes with his robe sleeve. Professor McGonagall was completely caught off guard by Scorpius' sudden display of raw emotion.

"No, it's all right," put in Harry shaken by Scorpius' outburst. He put his hand up slightly. "I have conducted nearly a hundred interviews. Mostly focused on your father, but now given what's happened, the range of suspects just increased."

"Harry, is he in any danger?" asked Professor Longbottom.

Professor McGonagall answered that question, "As long as Scorpius is on these grounds, he is safe."

"I'll make arrangements with your grandmother," said Harry.

Professor Longbottom added, "Your father placed a very powerful protective shield over you, Scorpius. It will keep you protected even if you can't use your wand."

"A lot of good that did my aunt and my cousins," muttered Scorpius.

"What spell did Draco Malfoy do?" asked Professor McGonagall.

"When he was dying, Draco cast the old magic blood spell to protect Scorpius," explained Professor Longbottom. "It was done on purpose. It was the last spell that he ever cast." He turned to Scorpius, "Draco, asked me to take an Unbreakable Vow. His wife was with him. She was the bonder."

"Professor Longbottom, why didn't you inform me sooner?" demanded the Headmistress sharply. Both Harry and Neville winced. She was eyeballing them the same way she did when they were students.

"I didn't want him to," croaked Scorpius. His voice was hoarse from the yelling. "Professor Longbottom has been helping since the beginning of the school year. I needed someone to talk to. There's no one else." He all but admitted to his loneliness.

"I see. Be that as it may, we need to discuss things further," said the Headmistress as she softened a bit. "I need to know exactly what is going on, Mr. Malfoy."

"Yes, Ma'am," said Scorpius.

"Professor Longbottom, you must go and conduct your class," ordered Professor McGonagall. She directed to Harry. "I assumed your business is concluded, Harry?"

"I'll send further word later," nodded Harry. He didn't feel right leaving Scorpius, feeling that he had just injured him. It was almost a hit and run.

"I'll see you later Scorpius. Please drop by my office whenever you're ready," said Neville, patting his shoulder. Scorpius nodded and the two exited the office.

They didn't breathe until they had cleared the staircase. "McGonagall is as formidable as ever," observed Harry ruefully. "And to think you stopped working for me to work for her."

Neville chuckled, "It still is less stressful and more rewarding." He stopped smiling. "This is a horrible situation, Harry. I'm really sorry about Scorpius."

"Don't worry about it," sad Harry. "I don't blame him. He has every right to get angry about it." He remembered being that age.

"Something evil is lurking about," said Neville darkly.

Harry nodded. "We're almost positive that it was the same killer who murdered the Malfoys. This time he was more thorough. He checked to see if Scorpius' cousins were dead. They never even woke up. Thank Heaven for that."

Neville paled. "How old were they?"

"Six and four."

"My God, Ally's four," whispered Neville. "I remember Daphne Greengrass. She hung out with Pansy Parkinson."

"She didn't get the chance to go down fighting like Scorpius' mother," said Harry. "Goyle didn't even have his wand. His girls were killed first. The killer let him get to his youngest daughter's room just to let him see her before he finished him off."

Harry and Neville heard a gasp followed by a stumble. Out of no where, Harry's sons appeared, falling to the ground. Albus half landed on James, who shoved him off. "You tripped me, Al!" shouted James.

"You tripped me!" retorted Albus.

"I should have known," groaned Harry. "What are you two doing?"

"Dad!" the boys cried in unison.

Harry glared at them and folded his arms over his chest. They got up very quickly. Albus grabbed the invisibility cloak, while James hastily pocketed the Marauders' Map. They swallowed as they took in the look on their father's face. "I'm waiting for an explanation," he said.

"We heard you were here during breakfast," said James.

Albus said, "Professor Longbottom and Professor McGonagall took Scorpius out to see you."

"I checked the map."

"I had the cloak."

"It was his idea!" They declared it all at once.

"How much did you hear?" asked Neville.

"We couldn't get the portable ears to work on McGonagall's office door, and there's sound proof spell," answered James, "but we heard you talk about Scorpius' cousins."

"Basically everything since you left the Headmistress' office," added Albus. His green eyes met his father's.

"You two should be in class," said Harry. "This isn't your concern."

"Shouldn't Professor Longbottom be in class, too?" asked James.

"I was on my way there. And by the way, twenty points off Gryffindor," replied Neville. "I'll leave be nice and not give you detention. I'll leave your father to deal with you."

"No, by all means, Neville, give them detention," said Harry.

James groaned as Albus looked at his shoes. "Very well. I'll see you two tonight at the greenhouse after dinner. Go easy on them, Harry," said the professor before taking off.

"Always good seeing you, Neville," Harry called after him as he looked back and forth between his sons. He put his hands on his hips. "You both are in serious trouble."

James held his tongue. The usual joke was that he was James Sirius, not Sirius. "We're sorry," said Albus. He was always better at getting Harry to calm down than James was. "We didn't know."

"You are not to breathe a word of this to anyone," ordered Harry. "Do you understand?" He made his immense displeasure known in his voice. The boys gulped and nodded. He softened a bit. He unexpectedly put his hands on their shoulders and he pulled them into an embrace. James didn't protest. "Sometimes your job's awful, Dad," he murmured.

Albus asked, "What about Scorpius Malfoy?"

Harry answered, "The press will have this out very soon. And no doubt whatever was held back before will be exposed." His eyes rested on Albus. "I want both of you to be kind to him. Don't talk about it to anyone unless he talks about it first."

"Yes, Dad," they chorused.

"Now I have to go back to work," said Harry. "Tell your sister for me that I miss her and love her."

James rolled his eyes, jerking his thumb at Albus, "He can do it."

Harry gave them a slight smile. "Be good. Both of you. Now go before Filch catches you."

Albus waited until James was out of earshot. His father gave him a questioning glance. "Is it okay to be friends with him, Dad?" he asked.

"Albus, you don't need my permission. You are capable of deciding on your own," replied Harry. "I trust you. And he really needs one."

Satisfied, Albus nodded, "Bye Dad."

* * *

Author's Note: I thought it would be fun to throw in a Potter family moment. Too bad Lily missed out, but she'll show up next chapter. It'll be cute. I promise. As the movie fast approaches, I look forward to seeing more Malfoy scenes. I didn't make much of Malfoy when I was reading the books a while back, but this story has changed my mind a bit.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	22. Part 22: Greengrass Glen

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Twenty-Two: Greengrass Glen

After dinner, the students dispersed. Liam Wood, the Quidditch team captain, ordered practice that Louis, James, and Lucy had to attend. Dominique had a prefect meeting, and Molly went off to meet her friends in Ravenclaw. Fred, Albus, and Rose went to the library as Roxanne, Hugo, and Lily went back towards the common room.

On the way, Lily made up an excuse not to go with them, "I forgot. I've got to go and tell Al something."

The ever perceptive Roxanne said, "Go ahead."

"We could go together," offered Hugo. He got elbowed by Roxanne. "OW! Stop that!" He rubbed his lower ribs. "You are so lucky my dad said to never hit a girl."

Lily smiled a bit before leaving them to go the infirmary. She felt butterflies in her stomach as she drew closer to it. She mentally checked herself together just before she got there. "I—um," stuttered Lily, feeling flustered, "I—I wanted to visit Scorpius Malfoy."

Madame Pomfrey saw the deep blush that crept up Lily's cheeks. "He's resting, so only a few minutes, Miss Potter. Poor dear hasn't had any visitors at all," she said kindly. "He's in the very back behind the curtain."

"Thank you, Madame Pomfrey," said Lily. Quietly, she strode to the very end of the infirmary. She stepped behind the curtain without disturbing it. She took a deep breath and looked at him.

Scorpius was lying on his left side with the blankets kicked off. He wasn't at peace at all. He was in his pajamas. Lily could see his face. His brows furrowed as he twisted and turned. He brought his knees up as his pajama top rode up. Lily saw something that very few had seen before.

Scorpius was perfectly pale. His skin was flawless like marble without any spots or freckles. At least that was Lily's assumption. There was a scar, a big one that looked like a starburst on his side. She reached out to touch it, but stopped. Thinking better of it, she pulled up the blankets instead to cover him. As she did this, her skin grazed over his. It sent tingles clear down to her toes. Her face ended up mere inches from his.

Lily saw Scorpius relax and his features ease as his breathing steadied. His lips, which he got from his mother, were full and moist. So tempting. Lily was so close to him. It took every ounce of restraint not to kiss him. How she really wanted to. Reluctantly, she pulled away from him. Lily felt a pang of pain in her chest as she did so. She pressed her lips together, tasting the strawberry lip balm she regularly applied.

Lily decided that it was best to leave and fast before she did something completely foolish. She sped out of the infirmary without saying a word to Madame Pomfrey. She ran as if she was being chased by a pack of dragons. "No running in the corridors," shouted Filch as she ran passed him.

Lily went back to the dorms, ignoring the questioning glances she got. She was out of breath and completely exhausted. Roxanne showed up a few minutes later as she closed the curtains around her bed. Roxanne climbed up on her bed without invitation.

"Lily, is he all right?" she asked gingerly.

Lily didn't answer as she looked up at the canopy. "He was asleep," she replied. She didn't talk about the scar that she had seen. It was a mark of something terrible that happened to him. She wanted to know what happened to him.

"I'll leave you alone for now," said Roxanne. "Just talk to me when you're ready." She saw Lily give a small nod. Roxanne went to her desk and started a letter to Victoire, giving her a report of what had happened so far.

***

Narcissa Malfoy arrived through the Headmistress' fireplace along with Teddy. It was the first time since the Battle of Hogwarts since she had been there. Teddy was there in two capacities: as a relative and as an Auror. After a brief exchange of common pleasantries, Narcissa went down to the infirmary to see her grandson and Teddy went along with her.

When they got to the infirmary, Scorpius was ready to leave. He had had another rough and strange night. First he had a nightmare that faded away as soon as he had woken up. Scorpius could swear that he smelled the scent of strawberries. It was still January, so the possibility of smelling strawberries wasn't likely. The scent had brought comfort and calm.

"There is no need to pack anything," his grandmother told him after they had greeted each other.

Teddy put in, "No need to worry. Professor McGonagall has informed the teachers about your assignments."

Scorpius didn't have any fight in him. He nodded, "I'm ready."

Narcissa wasn't told exactly what had happened to the Goyles. Their murders were no where nearly as profound a loss to her as those of her son and his wife, but it still affected her because of the toll it took on her grandson. She saw how he had his hands balled into fists as they went back to the Headmistress' office to head to the Greengrasses' palatial home, Greengrass Glen.

The Malfoys were attached to the Goyles and the Greengrasses as were most pureblood families. Although the Greengrasses were never Death Eaters, they were known for being a fine pureblood family. However, the war almost bankrupted the Greengrasses due to Astoria's father's poor business choices during the war. When Voldemort was vanquished, it all fell apart. The Greengrasses had very little left other than their name and lineage. Astoria's father drank himself to death prior to arranging the engagement of his then sixteen year old daughter to an eighteen year old Draco Malfoy. He had little choice because Daphne was of age and couldn't be coerced into entering into any arrangement.

Narcissa knew where Scorpius had some of his kindness from. It came from his father. His parents were supposed to marry right after his mother's graduation. Astoria had been accepted into WADA on a full scholarship and a single audition, which was unheard of for the school. She thought she was going to have to give up her dreams, but it was Draco in an act of unexpected kindness who had stepped in. He convinced his parents and her mother to allow Astoria to go to WADA for the required three years on the express promise in writing that he'd marry her at that time and agreed to a binding spell and contract. In the meantime, Draco ended up giving up part of his own trust fund to the Greengrasses to live comfortably.

Scorpius should have been glad to be out of the school. There was no cover up anymore. The murders were now front page news. It didn't take long for the students to infer that Scorpius was the surviving relative mentioned in the article.

While everyone was at school going to class, Scorpius was exploring the ancient home of his mother's family Greengrass Glen was the opposite of Malfoy Manor. It was bright and beautiful filled with exquisite art and fine furniture. His grandmother, who had passed away from a wizarding illness before he was born, was the type of woman who held appearances above all else. His mother didn't seem to have inherited those sentiments.

Scorpius found the room that he was naturally drawn to. It was the music room where his mother had learned how to play the violin and cello. It was the same room where his aunt would draw her drawings that would eventually become her fashion line. There were sketches that were framed with her handwriting dating them. Scorpius settled into the piano bench and opened the lid. Even though it hadn't been played in ages, it was still dust free.

He started fingering across it. Playing a piece that his father had taught him when he was still too young to play. He remembered sitting in his father's lap, listening to it. It was an old wizarding lullaby. It was a delicate piece that most people didn't even know how to play. He looked up after a minute seeing his grandmother watching him. "I was thinking of playing this for the funeral," he told her.

"I think that would be a wonderful way to send them off," whispered Narcissa. "I have your clothes ready for the funeral tomorrow along with lunch. Please try and eat something, love." There was a touch of pleading in her voice.

"I'll be there in an hour," Scorpius told her. His fingers didn't leave the keys.

Narcissa nodded and left him alone.

***

The funeral came so much faster than Scorpius had wanted. Security was on high alert and this time Ron was the lead Auror present and Teddy was there in his professional capacity. This time there were more Slytherins in attendance from Ron's year and some of them sneered at him. There were no former Death Eaters present.

The piano was set up for Scorpius. In the room next to it, he was battling a sudden onset of stage fright. It wasn't until the guests started filtering in did it occur to him that he was going to be performing in front of a real audience. He began to pace up and down the room, trying to reason his way through it.

"It's going to be all right," he murmured under his breath. "People stare at me all the time. Should be used to it by now." He breathed in and out. "I can do this." He huffed in and out. "It's as natural as breathing. Just pretend there's no one there like last night." He pivoted and continued pacing. His scar started to hurt.

Ron was looking at the photographs that someone had set up in the foyer. Some were from the old days at Hogwarts. Draco and Astoria Maofy were in some of the photos as well. There were pictures from the Greengrass girls' childhood and some of Goyle. One photo drew Ron's attention. It was one of the Slytherins from fifth year, the Inquisitorial Squad.

Ron peered closer at that photographer. His eyes were drawn to the pins on their robes. Now he remembered how the Inquisitorial Squad would roam the corridors and make all the other students lives hell during that year. Ron started to look around at the guests.

His eyes met Narcissa's as she walked up to him. "Scorpius is supposed to play the piano," she told him as calm as possible yet unable to hide her worry.

Ron said, "I'll go and look for him, Mrs. Malfoy." He looked around for Teddy who was already approaching him.

"What's wrong, Aunt Cissy? Where is Scorpius?" he asked.

"Let's go and look for him, Teddy," said Ron. "Have a seat, Mrs. Malfoy. Just tell them that Scorpius will play last."

"He's probably outside and lost track of time," said Teddy, taking off. "I'll also check the kitchen."

Ron started by checking the rooms. He ordered two other Aurors to spread out and look for Scorpius. They had to it without drawing attention to themselves and interrupting the funeral service. It was hard enough looking inconspicuous without losing the charge they were supposed to keep watch over.

There were many rooms and secret passageways. Ron crisscrossed the foyer twice going around with his patience wearing thin. He had nearly bumped into someone he hadn't seen in years.

"Weasley?"

"Blaise Zabini."

The two men were nearly the same height. Both were formally dressed and they regarded each other with a hard stare. "What are you doing here? Come to jig on Goyle's grave?" demanded Blaise.

"Long time no see Zabini," said Ron with collected calm. "No, as a matter of fact, I'm here on business. Now, if you don't mind, I have to get back to work." He hadn't forgotten about Scorpius and didn't want to waste time on Zabini.

"Earning extra money by working funerals?"

"No, go through there," muttered Ron, directing Zabini away.

Zabini seemed disappointed, but swept off in the direction that Ron had pointed in. Ron ended up going in the same direction and finally reached the room next to the larger room where the service was being held.

Scorpius jumped a bit when Ron yanked the door open. Ron didn't know whether to be relieved or annoyed. He quietly closed the door. "So this is where you've been for the last twenty minutes?" asked Ron in a very irritated tone.

Scorpius rubbed his hand over his scar. It was burning. "I can't do it," he whispered with a stricken look on his face. "I thought I could, but I can't." He furiously shook his head. "What if I mess up?"

Ron, at this point, grabbed Scorpius by the shoulders to steady him. "What is going on? You look like you're having a panic attack," he told him.

"I think I am, Mr. Weasley."

"Does your scar hurt?"

Scorpius nodded, "But it does sometimes when I'm really anxious."

Ron released Scorpius. "There's nothing here that's going to hurt you, Scorpius," he assured him.

"I said I'd play the piano for the funeral, but I can't do it."

"Is that what's wrong with you?"

"You don't understand, Mr. Weasley. I've never perform in front of a real audience before. Not once." He swallowed.

Ron, getting it, said, "Oh. You're nervous that you'll mess up in front of all of those people." Never in his life would Ron believe that he'd be the one who would be giving a pep talk to Draco Malfoy's child. Ron could swear that he could hear Draco laughing wherever he was. Scorpius looked positively petrified. "Why did you volunteer to do it in the first place?"

Scorpius replied, "I wanted to do something other than just being here." He looked away from Ron. "Di and Annie always bugged me to play something for them whenever I went over to their house or here or at my parents' house."

"Did you ever mess up in front of them?"

"Yes, loads of times, but I've gotten better since."

"Did they care if you messed up?"

Scorpius shook his head. "You're not playing for the people here today, Scorpius. You're playing for Di and Annie and they won't care if you mess up." Ron gave him an encouraging smile. "Maybe you should do it on purpose, so they'll know it's you."

A moment passed before Scorpius gave a slight smile. "I'm ready now."

"I told your grandmother that you'll go last," Ron told him.

"Thanks, Mr. Weasley," said Scorpius, feeling better.

Ron said, "You're welcome."

They walked out of the room just as Teddy came back to report not finding Scorpius. He gave Ron a quizzical look. "Nothing's wrong. Just a case of nerves." He cleared his throat and said, "Teddy, you go with him and I'll tell Tyler and Brooks that we found him. We'll do a patrol of the perimeter."

Teddy and Scorpius entered the room and all of the guests stared at him. Scorpius caught his grandmother's eye. She raised an eyebrow at him at he walked up to the piano. Mr. Gentry announced, "Scorpius Malfoy will now play Waltz of the Will o' Wisps."

Scorpius closed his eyes after taking a deep breath and he started playing. He only opened his eyes about a minute into it and kept them trained on his hands. It was like the music flowed from his fingertips and into the piano keys. He avoided even looking at the attendees who listened with rapt attention. It was over in less than five minutes.

Slowly, as if the attendees were debating if it was appropriate, they started applauding. Scorpius stood up, feeling like he had been hit by jelly legs curse and was a bit pink. It was now time for them to head out to the cemetery.

"I'm afraid we put Draco off a bit," said Narcissa in the carriage. "We used to force him to play at all of our formal dinner parties. Draco detested it." She wore a sad smile on her face.

"But how'd you get so good?" Teddy asked Scorpius.

Scorpius replied, "Quidditch." Teddy looked confused. Scorpius smirked a little as he continued, "When I was younger, I wasn't keen on learning how to play either. One time, I got so tired of it that I hid my violin in the piano to avoid practicing both." It was his turn to have a sad smile on his face. "My dad was furious when he found it in the piano. He said by doing that I disrespected both him and Mum. For a punishment, he doubled my practice on the violin and took away my toy broomstick until the piano was fixed. I don't think it was really broken, but it was two weeks of waiting. It wasn't like Dad couldn't have fixed it with his wand.

When I was seven, I wanted to learn how to play Quidditch. Dad made a deal. He said would teach me, if I took my practicing seriously. So I got better faster, so I could play Quidditch. No more stalling just practicing. He took me to games and even the World Cup when it was in Beijing." He stopped talking because he was looking out the carriage window. They had arrived at the cemetery.

Ron and Teddy didn't try to get Scorpius to continue, knowing that his eyes were looking for his parents' graves. The almost careful expression left his face. He pressed his lips together. The carriage pulled to a stop. The driver opened the door and they got out.

The burial was conducted in dignified silence. Observing those around him, Ron's brain was still working on something. Looking around, Ron knew what was strange; none of the people in that photograph of the Inquisitorial Squad were present. It struck Ron as odd.

He mentally checked off a list, trying to remember everyone in the photograph. Malfoy, Goyle, and Crabbe were dead. There were many people from Slytherin there from the same year. Daphne had been one of the most popular girls in the house. Ron noticed that Pansy Parkinson wasn't there. He couldn't simply dismiss her absence as her not wanting to attend the funeral.

The burial was done and Scorpius went to visit his parents' graves. He forgot to bring some lilies. It was very difficult for him. He took of his gloves and touched the cold granite. It sent a shiver through him. He saw a shadow cast over him as he turned he saw Blaise Zabini.

"Such a shame," said Blaise in a pitying tone.

"Hello Mr. Zabini," said Scorpius. He hastily wiped his face with a glove.

Blaise was tall and lean. He was dapper and finely dressed. "Please call me, Blaise. Your father was one of my good friends," he said kindly.

"That would be rude, Sir," said Scorpius.

Blaise smiled, "You sound like your mother, but your voice is your father's."

Scorpius nodded. He knew who Blaise Zabini was. He was one of his father's friends just as he said, one of the few who stood by him after the war. "It's all over the news that they were murdered. Is it true that it wasn't an accident?"

"Yes," croaked Scorpius, feeling his heart hammering against his ribcage.

Blaise looked grim as if someone had kicked him in the stomach. "How?" he whispered.

Scorpius felt the pain in his scar. He stumbled a bit grabbing for the closest thing to him, his father's headstone. Blaise reached out and grabbed his left hand. "What's wrong with you?" asked Blaise in horror.

Ron and Teddy saw Scorpius fall. They raced to them. "Zabini, what the Hell did you do him?" demanded Ron, who looked fit to kill.

"Jumping to conclusion, Weasley?" snarled Blaise. "Is this how you intend to conduct your inquiry?" He was still holding onto Scorpius' arm. "If it is, then you haven't got a chance."

Ron could see that Scorpius was in pain. He was desperately trying to wretch his arm free from Blaise's grip. "Let him go now," ordered Ron, drawing his wand. "Teddy, take him back to the carriage." Ron wasn't sure what was going on but sheer instinct took over.

Just like that Blaise released Scorpius' arm. Teddy rushed to him as Narcissa ran to them. "Scorpius, are you all right?" she asked.

Scorpius nodded as they helped him to his feet. He felt humiliated. "Please don't duel in front of my parents' graves," he requested weakly.

"We'll go back to Greengrass Glen," said Narcissa, obviously she didn't want them dueling there either. Ron lowered his wand. Blaise never drew his, so there was nothing to put away. He did, however, stand his ground.

Ron pointed out, "If you and Draco Malfoy were such great friends, where were you for his funeral? I was there. You weren't."

"I was abroad at the time. Didn't hear about it until a month after," explained Blaise. "The Daily Prophet said it was an accident."

Ron at this point went to his back pocket. He offered his business card to Blaise. "I do have a few questions, please drop by and let's have a proper chat."

Blaise accepted the business card. He nodded, "Anything I can do to help." He looked at Ron somberly, "But I doubt it would do any good."

"Good day, Zabini," said Ron.

Blaise said, "See you later, Weasley."

Ron walked back to the carriage. The snow was starting to fall. He turned to look again and Blaise had apparated away. Ron climbed into the carriage and he looked at Scorpius with some concern because he was looking a little green. "He should rest back at the estate," he recommended. "Everyone's already gone home. Teddy, if you don't mind, I'll escort him back to Hogwarts tomorrow."

Narcissa had an appointment with the family lawyers. She had asked Teddy to do it. "I appreciate you concern, Ron, but I'm sure that Teddy can handle it."

Scorpius put in, "I don't mind, Grandmother." He closed his eyes, sighing. He really wanted to be left alone. How he hated the scar. Sure no one could see it, but the bloody thing made him even more of a freak. He hated how everyone seemed to scramble around him whenever it decided to burn like hell.

Upon returning to the estate, Scorpius forced down a cup of pumpkin juice and half a sandwich before retiring to one of the rooms for some sleep. Ron left to go back to the headquarters and took the picture of the Inquisitorial Squad off the wall. He didn't believe in coincidences.

* * *

Author's Note: There was a lot here. Many layers, but my favorite scene is the one with Lily almost kissing Scorpius. Obviously, he's got too many things distracting him from other things. Don't worry more to come on that, but meanwhile, Scorpius will make some friends. Harry is head of the Aurors and his handling more than just his case load, so that's why Ron is at the funeral instead. And as probably many people are wondering what the hell the title has to do with the story, this is just the start of the explanation.

I also wanted to do an update in honor of 4th of July. I got an extra day off. Let's hope that I have some time this weekend to write up more chapters.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	23. Part 23: The Three Broomsticks

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Twenty-Three: The Three Broomsticks

_Sixteen Years Ago_

Grimly, he read the headlines that morning at breakfast. He had to force the rest of his egg white omelet down his throat in order to get something down before heading out on his continuing job search. It wasn't the most pleasant thing to wake up to. Suddenly, his fireplace flared up and a familiar, beautiful face came into view, making his heart skip a beat. He hadn't seen her since yesterday and already he missed her.

"Draco!" she called.

"Good morning Astoria."

"Are you busy?"

"Depends, what do you need?"

"I need you to come over. My mother is driving me mad about the place settings and the guest list and the flowers again."

"I told you it would be easier if we elope."

"I know, but you know what the fit your mother and my mother will throw if we do that. Please come over. I'm begging you. It's your wedding, too."

Draco chuckled as he shook his head. "Your sister made it clear, Tori, that a wedding is the bride's, not the groom's." Seeing the panicked look on Astoria's face, making him laugh even harder. "I'm supposed to be out looking for a job, but I suppose I could just drop by for a bit. Give me five minutes." She disappeared before throwing him a grin. He sighed as he cleaned up with a few flicks of his wand. Glancing at the headline again, he folded up the newspaper and left it on the table.

After brushing his teeth and grabbing the newspaper, he Apparated over to Greengrass Glen, the ancestral home of his bride-to-be. Draco knew that this was probably going to eat up his day just like it had on previous days. Astoria's mother was like a force of nature and his mother wasn't to be trifled with either. His father even had more of a say than Draco and Astoria did. The small wedding that they had desired had gone the wayside and had spiral well out of their control. Draco had long given up because it was a runaway train and all he and Astoria wanted to do was move out of the way. Alas, it was for them so they couldn't get out of the way.

To his surprise, Astoria was waiting for him. She looked more like she was hiding out. "Oh thank you for coming," she said as she jumped up from the front steps.

Draco kissed her cheek. "So, what _reasonable_ demands has your mother made now?" he drawled.

"She and your father got into an argument about inviting your father's business associates to the reception, saying that having them would be madness. Your father isn't happy about it."

Draco knew that his mother and her mother objected to these particular business associates because they were former Death Eaters. However, Draco did already argue that if that was their objection, then he and his father wouldn't be allowed to attend. Of course, they were the only exceptions to the rule allowed. He was taking things too calmly for everyone's tastes after he had spent the last five years dragging his feet down the aisle. "Don't worry about it, Tori. Just sit back and watch the whole thing blow up in their faces," he said jovially.

Astoria frowned at him. Her light blue eyes flashed at him. Draco loved her lips. They were full and thick. Her pout was positively irresistible. What could he do, but make another attempt to reason with their parents? It wouldn't do any good to talk to them, but it would make Astoria feel better. Together they walked inside and found their respective mothers with their heads together. They looked up at them as soon as they came in.

"There you are Draco," said Narcissa. She smiled at her only child.

Draco drew a deep breath as he looked at her, then at his future mother-in-law. Anastasia Greengrass said, "We do need a man's opinion. And who better to ask than the groom?"

Astoria answered, "Mama, we just want to make sure that things don't get out of hand anymore than they already have."

"What's so out of hand about it? You are being incredibly stubborn about this. It's a great since for us to have some good news about our families, so we can take advantage of it," replied Anastasia with a snort.

Astoria cast a pleading glance at Draco, who immediately said, "Madame, we're thinking about economics as well as logistics. There are people still deciding whether or not they want to attend and the wedding is a month away. We could have already been married, if we could have just done what we wanted."

Narcissa pointed out, "You two could have been married three years ago, if you, Draco, had just agreed to marry then."

"You could have planned the wedding without me here," returned Draco.

Astoria was sitting next to him. She placed her hands on her lap. Her engagement ring caught the light. It had emeralds and black diamonds on it, but she didn't like very much. She wore out of obligation to show the world that she was going to be married to Draco. The only thing they had been allowed to do on their own was pick out their wedding bands, which were custom made to be linked together. They designed them together. She couldn't wait until she had that ring because she thought her engagement ring was too gaudy and it made it difficult for her to play her violin. Draco placed his hand on top of hers. Neither of their mothers said that they were afraid he wouldn't have returned. The only person who had any faith in him returning was Astoria, who had exacted a promise from Draco in the first place. She was the reason why he'd sit through all this. "Mama, it wouldn't have made a difference anyway because no one would listen to us anyway," sighed Astoria. She got up. "Draco and I will just go for a stroll in the garden. Do whatever you want."

Draco got up with her and took the newspaper with him. When they were outside, she asked him, "Why did you bring the paper? Were you expecting to be bored?"

"Yes, I was," he admitted with sly smile. "But not now."

"What is on the news today? I feel like I've been trapped on another planet for the last few months. Tell me what news of the outside world do you have?"

"Fenrir Greyback has escaped from Azkaban," replied Draco as he placed his hands behind his back.

Astoria could see that he was troubled by it. "Do you think he'll crash the wedding?" she asked.

"That would be the least of the troubles he could cause," he replied gruffly as a scowl set in on his features. His hands tightened into fists. "The Aurors have gone after him. Potter, Weasley, and Longbottom were able to only bring him down before because of the confusion during the Battle of Hogwarts. Potter won't be able to find him this time."

"Are you saying this because it's Harry Potter?"

This gave Draco pause. Astoria looked up at him questioningly. Her eyes seemed to probe at him. "No, Potter is too good. He won't be able to think like Greyback nor will the others. It's going to take someone who thinks like him in order to stop him," he replied after a moment. Things were hazy whenever Astoria wasn't around, but looking at her at that moment made things come in focus. He leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips, catching her by surprise.

***

Scorpius could have stayed away from school longer, but he longed to go back to a place where had some control over what happened. Ron collected Scorpius to return him to school on Saturday, so he could catch up on the school work he had missed. They used the Floo Network from Greengrass Glen and came through the Headmistress' fireplace. She was dress in her usual attire with one addition: a scarlet and yellow scarf.

"Hello Mr. Weasley," greeted Professor McGonagall. "Hello Mr. Malfoy."

"Quidditch game today, Professor?" asked Ron cheerfully. "I thought you were supposed to be impartial."

"That is why I will be wearing a cloak over it," said the Headmistress with some amusement. She turned her attention to Scorpius. "Good to see you, Mr. Malfoy."

Scorpius said, "Please excuse me, Headmistress, but I must do my assignments."

Professor McGonagall was prepared and handed Scorpius a stack of parchment. Ron looked alarmed. "He was only gone for three days, Professor," he said as Scorpius accepted the lot without protest.

Professor McGonagall informed Ron, "It's only thick because Albus Potter gathered the assignments and your daughter, Rose, provided copies of her notes. Professor Chang also gave her notes from her lecture on Muggle modes of transportation."

"Rose made copies of her notes?" asked Ron with some disbelief.

"Given the circumstances of Scorpius' absence, your daughter wasn't unwilling to help," replied the Headmistress. "Now Scorpius, you look like you haven't eaten. There's still plenty of time to get something to eat and even join us at the game."

"With all due respect, Headmistress, I have some catching up to do," refused Scorpius politely again. "I am not in the mood for Quidditch."

"Very well, but at least have something to eat," said the Headmistress gently. "Mr. Weasley, if you would like, you may attend the match."

Ron broadly grinned. "Of course, I'd love to."

Scorpius couldn't help but feeling a twinge of envy towards Ron's children. Or the other Potters and Weasleys, who would get to see him at the game. Both Scorpius' father and uncle were dead. The feeling was like a lump of coal in his stomach. His face was impassive as he made his way to the door. "Thank you, Mr. Weasley," he said softly without turning around, fearing that the mask would slip.

Scorpius had no appetite, but he had to eat something, if only to avoid Professor McGonagall's questioning later. He went down to the Great Hall with the bundle of assignments and notes. Everyone was pretty much up early to have breakfast and head out to the pitch. If Scorpius thought, he could have snuck in unnoticed, he was sadly mistaken. All the chattering stopped as he took his usual seat at the end of the Slytherin table, closest to the exit.

Lily nearly gagged on her juice when Scorpius suddenly turned up. His eyes were locked with hers as Albus scolded her, "Don't stare." Then without warning, after only grabbing a piece of toast, Scorpius approached the Gryffindor table, stopping just a few feet from Lily. "Thanks, Potter," said Scorpius, making eye contact with Albus. "And, you, too, Weasley." He nodded at Rose who looked a little surprised. He held up the bundle and left, heading towards the dungeons.

"It's like last year all over again," said Rose quietly. There was a general nod of agreement.

There was no time to discuss it because Wood was pumped and ready. He ordered the team out and Scorpius was all but forgotten except for one person. Lily knew that Scorpius never attended the games. She thought it was odd. Partly, she wanted him to go just so she could see him there.

They were in for a surprise when Ron showed up at the game. He sat with his children and his nieces and nephews. It was an afternoon that would remain with him. After what he had to do for his job, he was relished the moment even more.

***

Over the course of the weekend, Scorpius completed his homework assignments and made an odd request with Professor Longbottom to put off the tutoring sessions until he was ready to resume them. It was difficult for him to return to school. He was trying his hardest to appear that everything was all right. He was grateful for the help, so he did something he didn't expect. "Are you going to Hogsmeade this weekend?" he asked Albus in Charms.

"Yeah," answered Albus. This was the first time since Scorpius had thanked them that he had said a word.

Scorpius felt awkward like his tongue was thick in his mouth. "Why did you and your cousin help me? I didn't ask for it," he said.

"I don't know," replied Albus sincerely. "It's not an act of charity. We didn't help because we felt sorry for you. Don't get mad."

"I'm not mad," said Scorpius mildly. "I just don't understand why you'd help me."

Albus shrugged, knowing that Rose and Fred were listening. "I don't know why. There's nothing wrong with being nice to people, especially when they need it."

Scorpius remembered how his father would give to charity. Yes, Draco Malfoy gave to charity without people knowing. He didn't do it to get a fancy box at a Quidditch World Cup. Nor to get his name on a hospital wing or anything of the sort, but for something else that was intangible. His father always told him, "Sometimes you do something nice because it's the right thing to do. You don't have to be thanked for you." Scorpius didn't understand it at time.

"What about Hogsmeade?" interrupted Fred.

Scorpius said, feeling awkward, "I was wondering if you three wanted to come along. I wanted to thank you for helping me out with the notes, especially Albus and Rose. We can go to the Three Broomsticks."

Fred was floored. Scorpius cleared his throat. "You don't have to do that," said Rose immediately.

"No, it's the least I could do," insisted Scorpius, not very forcefully for someone who was insistent.

Albus said, "Sure, we'll go. But you're buying."

"No problem," shrugged Scorpius. He nodded and they went back to work before Professor Flitwick told them to.

By the end of the following week, Scorpius was looking forward to leaving the castle for a few hours away from the place where everyone seemed to be pointing and talking about him as if he were a museum exhibit. Yes, look at the boy who lost his family. His parents were murdered so were his aunt, uncle, and cousins. He had had enough and needed to get away for a while.

The four of them met at the gate and headed down. Scorpius was silently throughout the walk as Rose was telling Fred and Albus the finer points of studying for their classes rather than just asking her for the answers. She seemed to enjoy lecturing them, but Fred was making snide remarks like a cheeky student in the presence of an overbearing teacher.

When they got to the Three Broomsticks, it was crowded as usual with other people other than students at Hogwarts. Madame Rosemerta looked up from the counter and saw the four students walk in. She was immediately taken back by Scorpius. He paid no mind to the people who were staring at him.

"I'll go and get the drinks," said Scorpius as the others went to go find a table. He walked up to the counter. Madame Rosemerta, who was known to be the most hospitable of witches, regarded him with cold eyes. Scorpius was undeterred because he was too used to people looking at him like that. "Four butterbeers, please, Madame," he said in usual polite manner. Madame Rosemerta gave the bottles of butterbeer and Scorpius paid with one galleon. His mother always told him to be polite no matter what. "Thank you, Madame," said Scorpius as Albus joined him.

"There's four of us," pointed out Albus. "We got a table."

Scorpius was painfully aware that there were people staring at him. Some even glared at him. He took a seat next to Fred and Albus took one between Scorpius and Rose. Scorpius handed one of the bottles to Fred jus as Albus handed one to Rose. Scorpius set the bottle down to take his jacket off.

"I'm sorry about this," he mumbled.

"About what?" asked Fred.

Scorpius replied, "This was a bad idea. People will start talking about you, too." He understood why his father avoided wizarding society. It was situations like these that he didn't want to put his son through.

"Lighten up," said Fred, looking around. "You do attract attention, don't you?"

"Negative attention," corrected Scorpius grimly.

Rose said, "Just ignore it."

"My dad gets looks all the time, but he just shrugs it off," said Albus.

"I'm more infamous than famous," said Scorpius wryly. "I doubt your reputations could survive any association with me, even yours, Potter."

"Then you're overestimating our reputations," said Albus. "Malfoy, relax."

Scorpius could only manage a stiff nod as he took a sip of the warm butterbeer. He couldn't relax. He wondered how long they would be willing to talk to them once they started getting heckled and hexed for it. They seemed like a stubborn lot, so he gave them a bit longer than Tate when he dealt with him.

They had more butterbeer before making their way through the shops. Something unsettled Scorpius and it wasn't the butterbeer. A cold feeling washed over him. No, he had an ominous feeling running through his veins. His scar was itchy. The irritation was minor, but Scorpius knew that it was either going to flare up fast or simply go away as quickly as it came. He wanted to go back to the castle.

Scorpius lagged behind as Rose and Fred went to the Weasley Wizarding Wheeze in what was once Zonko's Jokes Shop. Albus was the one who noticed that Scorpius was placing his hand over his jacket. "Malfoy, what's wrong?" he queried.

"Nothing," muttered Scorpius feebly.

And then they came as Scorpius doubled over in agony. A swarm of cloaked creatures came out of no where descending upon the people in the village. They were coming straight at him. Scorpius crumpled to the ground as Albus went silent. Scorpius could hear a screaming voice, "DRACO! GET HIM OUT! DRACO—"

Professor Longbottom was just in the village, coming through the fireplace at the Three Broomsticks after a visit home with his family at the Leaky Cauldron. He heard the commotion and saw the cloaked figures. He raced out of the Three Broomsticks with his wand in hand. "_Expecto Patronum!_" he shouted and a patronus erupted from his wand.

The swarm of Dementors had hone in on one person. Professor Longbottom was visibly pale when he saw who it was as he ran towards him. Rose and Fred had doubled back as soon as they had seen Scorpius fall. They and Albus were fine, but they were gathered around Scorpius. "Scorpius," whispered Professor Longbottom.

"The Dementors. They came from the forest," explained Rose frantically. Leave it to her to be paying enough attention to see where they had come from.

"They came straight at him," added Fred.

Professor Longbottom handed some money to Rose. "Go and buy some chocolate. Albus. Fred. I need you to help me move him."

Rose was quick and took off. The boys helped pull Scorpius up. They didn't go back to the Three Broomsticks. Instead, they ended up going to the Hog's Head. Scorpius was out cold. Aberforth Dumbledore looked a bit sour as they came in. "What in Merlin's name is going on, Longbottom?" he asked sternly. His eyes fell on the Scorpius.

"Dementors," breathed Professor Longbottom.. Rose came hurtling back with a chocolate bar that she bought from Honeydukes. She handed it to the professor just as Scorpius started coming to. "Here have some chocolate," ordered the professor, unwrapping the bar and breaking off a piece.

"I don't really like choco—"

Professor Longbottom cut him off by shoving the piece of chocolate into his mouth. "You have to eat the entire bar," he ordered sternly.

"I thought the Dementors were dead," murmured Albus.

"Dementors can't be killed," Professor Longbottom gravely informed them. "We need to go back to the castle."

"I can walk," said Scorpius after swallowing the too sweet chocolate. He still felt sick and his side was burning.

Professor Longbottom watched as Scorpius clutched his hand on his side and the sweat beaded his forehead. He looked a bit green. After a few more minutes and finishing the chocolate bar, they went back to the castle. As they went back, Professor Longbottom filled in all the questions that Albus, Rose, and Fred were rattling off. Scorpius walked ahead of them. He didn't want anyone to see that he was crying after reliving his mother's dying words.

***

Upon returning to the castle, Professor Longbottom ordered the cousins to say nothing and escorted Scorpius to his office. At first Scorpius refused to speak for a while. He had listened to all of the things about the Dementors. They were once the prison guards for Azkaban before the fall of the Dark Lord. After the new Ministry was formed, the Dementors were cast out. They cannot be killed, but only contained. Most of them were confined to forests like the Forbidden Forest near the school.

Scorpius knew that the Dementors fed off the souls of people, especially those who were damaged to begin with. Scorpius couldn't think of anyone as damaged as he was. His grandfather had been in Azaban, but Scorpius didn't think the Dementors were that dangerous. Scorpius was mistaken because his grandfather had taken years to recover after that.

"You were supposed to pay me a visit after the funeral," said Professor Longbottom. There was no way around it. They had to talk about it.

"I heard her screaming," started Scorpious barely above the whisper. "She was screaming my dad's name before she was finished off." Shaking from the experience, he began to rock back and forth. "Is it wrong that I wanted them to finish me off? Maybe, if they had, I wouldn't have to feel like this, like I'm torn apart all the time."

Professor Longbottom gently said, "Don't talk like that."

"It started right before it happened," said Scorpius. "I can't believe that I fainted out in the middle of the street like that. Potter and the Weasleys saw it."

Deciding that it was less than helpful to point out that other people saw Scorpius collapse as well, Professor Longbottom, "We can deal with the Dementors. I did say it was time for you to do some advanced spell work in your DADA sessions."

"I was passed out. What did you do to get rid of it? There were dozens of them."

"I can teach you how to cast a patronus. It will be difficult to do, but it can be done."

"That's N.E.W.T. level, Sir."

"It can be done. Harry Potter cast his when he was thirteen. You have a stronger foundation in DADA and a year extra on top of him. You'll be able to learn how to do it. Look how much you've learned so far."

Scorpius looked up at him doubtful and nodded. "If only, I don't have to hear her screaming again, I'll do it." He'd do anything to prevent that. "When can we start?"

"Very soon, but not today. I must make a report to the Aurors about this," answered Professor Longbottom.

"You're going to tell Mr. Potter, aren't you?"

"I must, but for right now. I will keep this from your grandmother. I still need to speak to her about your father. She must know that he did what he had to do."

"I was very rude to Mr. Potter the last time I saw him. I didn't mean to get that mad at him. I don't even know why I did it. If my mum were alive, she'd be so disappointed with me."

"Harry understands," assured Professor Longbottom. "He understands better than anyone."

Scorpius thought about the last funeral. "Mr. Weasley is easier to talk to than him. He doesn't talk to me like Mr. Potter does." Professor Longbottom gave him a questioning look. Scorpius further elaborated, "Mr. Weasley talked to me when I was too nervous to play the piano at the funeral".

Trembling a bit, Scorpius said, "My cousins looked like dolls in their coffins. You know the type of dolls you'd see in a toy store. My aunt's forehead had to be covered in bangs. There was a big hole in her forehead. The people at the funeral parlor couldn't fix it. My uncle looked so small in his coffin." Professor Longbottom could see that Scorpius seeing it in his mind. "He was always so huge. How could he look so small in a box?"

Professor Longbottom placed his hand on Scorpius' shoulder. "Di and Annie never hurt anyone. They were just little girls," sobbed Scorpius. "They were annoying and pestered me all the time. My aunt always squeezed my cheeks. She and my uncle couldn't have kids right away so she always volunteered to baby sit me. I never really contacted her after my mother died. They had the same eyes. I just couldn't bear it. Now she's gone, too."

"She understood. She wasn't mad at you for it," said Professor Longbottom gently.

"Why am I still alive?"

"Because you are. Things happen without reason. We spend our entire lives trying to make sense of it. You are the only left to tell people who they were. That's why you're alive. I will do whatever I can to help you."

"Could you please ask them how the investigations are going?" requested Scorpius as he wiped his face.

"I'll do that."

"May I please go now?" asked Scorpius. The professor nodded. "Thank you, sir."

As soon as Scorpius was gone, Professor Longbottom composed a letter to Harry to report the latest incident. He didn't have to wait long before a response because Neville's heart lit up with Harry's face in it in just a few hours.

"Neville!" called Harry.

"Hey Harry," returned Neville. He went on explaining what had transpired at Hogsmeade. As he told Harry, he could see a worried expression form on his face.

"What about Al, Rose, and Fred?"

"They're fine. They were more shaken by Scorpius collapsing than the Dementors."

"Have you told McGonagall yet?"

"She's next. No one's seen that many Dementors all at once since Voldemort."

Harry's face was expressionless at the mention of his greatest foe. "He felt it before it happened?"

"Yes," nodded the professor. "Harry, you know that he can't control it. We're lucky that the scar isn't largely known, but we can't risk him doing anything else with it."

"You're right," sighed Harry.

"He needs to learn Occlumency ," said Professor Longbottom. His brows wrinkled. "But I'm not as good at it as you. I can't think of anyone as good."

"Draco and Narcissa Malfoy," said Harry. "Narcissa Malfoy was so good that she fooled Voldemort."

"Too bad Draco didn't teach him."

"He probably didn't think Scorpius would need it."

"Or he hoped he wouldn't."

"I'm going to start to teach him how to cast patronus," said Professor Longbottom. "Then, I'll ask him about the Occlumency."

"Keep me posted."

"Will do."

* * *

Author's Note: Obviously anyone can guess what form Scorpius' patronus will take when he's able to cast it. Now, I know that the Dementors weren't put back to the prison after the war, so I had to put them somewhere. That and figure out a way to get Scorpius into the Potters' house.

Also the first part is a flashback, people are anxious to know what Draco did for a living, which made this chapter longer than usual. That's just the first part. Draco's past is slowly going to be revealed. With the next movie coming out here State side, I look forward to seeing the scenes with Malfoy in them. I didn't really have an opinion about Malfoy until I was writing this story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	24. Part 24: The Quidditch Pitch

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Twenty-Four: The Quidditch Pitch

"Dementors. Totally unbelievable," said James. Most of the students hustled back to the school after Dementors blanketed the village. He slumped into an armchair. Lily, like the other first years, was just starting to hear about it.

Albus, Rose, and Fred were among the first of the third years to return. Louis said, "I heard that they went straight for Malfoy. You were there with him, what happened?"

Fred answered, "He fainted."

James broke the short silence with uproarious laughter. Other people joined in, even Fred was smiling. Albus along with a fair amount of people didn't think it was funny. "It's not funny, James!" declared Rose.

"No, it's not," agreed Albus furiously. "If it wasn't for Professor Longbottom, his soul would have been sucked out."

Lily paled. "He is alright now?" she asked.

Fred stopped smiling after Rose's outburst. "Not sure. He wouldn't talk about it. He walked ahead of us and went in not saying anything."

"He wiped his face. I saw him do it before going in," mentioned Rose. "Whatever the Dementors did to him, Malfoy didn't want to talk about it."

"Something's weird happened right before," said Albus, "he looked like he was in pain. He was holding his side. He does do that a lot though."

Lily couldn't help but ask, "Which side?"

Albus looked at his own hand and had to demonstrate to show it. "Right," he answered, placing his right hand on his own side to mimic the action.

Lily knew exactly where Scorpius' scar was. She didn't dare say it. James said, "You shouldn't be hanging around him, Al. Neither should you, Rose and Fred."

"Why not?" challenged Albus. "Is it because he's a Malfoy?"

"Not just that," replied James. "No good happens around him. His parents were murdered so were his aunt, uncle, and cousins. Now Dementors are after him." He was very serious as he said this.

"Like Dad," answered Albus. "Mum, Uncle Ron, and Aunt Hermione stuck with him. Dad told us to be kind to him, shunning him doesn't make us any better than the Slytherins."

"You don't get to decide who we hang out with, James," said Rose stubbornly. She was doubly stubborn given her parents' dispositions.

Fred added, "We can be friends with whomever we want."

James sighed, looking at the three defiant faces staring back at him. "I could write your dads, Fred. Rose."

"My dad's the lead investigator for the Goyles' murders. At the game, he told me and Hugo to help Malfoy and he said it was nice of me to give him copies of my notes. So go ahead, James, and let my dad know what's happened. You'd save me a letter," goaded Rose as she tilted her chin at her cousin.

"My dad won't mind either," said Fred, wishing he had the same sharp tongue as Rose.

"I'm only warning you for your own good," said James exasperatedly.

"Thanks for the warning," retorted Albus sarcastically.

"He's in Slytherin. It will never work. You're going to get yourselves into trouble for nothing."

"Please Scorpus Malfoy is harmless. He's just a slacker and overly polite. None of the Slytherins like him and ever since, their common room was nearly wrecked, they're avoiding him altogether," scoffed Rose.

James threw up his arms in frustration. Through his teeth, he hissed in surrender before leaving the common room, "Fine, you lot can do whatever you want."

***

Over the next few weeks, Scorpius had a lot on his plate. He had his regular load of class work and he was taking on extra sessions with Professor Longbottom. The most shocking thing was that he was wrong about Potter and the Weasleys. They were still around and friendly towards him. Relatively speak of course.

The Slytherins sneered at the latest developed, but it was only a matter of time before the most unlikely Slytherin would make friends with the worst house. The worst house to them anyway. They gave him wide berth and even went as far as to give him his own corner at the Slytherin table. They started calling him BT behind his back, which was short for "blood traitor."

Rose was the one who came up with the idea of eating out on the grass during lunch as the weather warmed up. Even though he didn't show it, Scorpius was exhausted from the added sessions and he still hadn't been able to produce a patronus. He beat himself up over it, but Professor Longbottom remained patient.

The problem with producing patronus was that one had to have a happy memory to focus on while saying the incantation. Scorpius had a difficult time given the last year of his life, focusing on anything happy. He could only look back on the terrible things that had happened to him.

Currently, he and his friends were out on the grass. Fred was the one who was originally put off by Scorpius' quiet and reserved nature. Scorpius was far more comfortable talking to Albus because they were used to each other. Rose was still annoyed with him for things he did in their classes, but she eased up because clearly he wasn't a threat to her academic supremacy.

Just before Easter break, on the grass, Albus was talking about how close his sister's birthday was. "Do you want to come, Malfoy?" he asked.

Scorpius blinked. "To your sister's birthday party?"

"Yeah, it's going to be at the Leaky Cauldron," answered Albus. "There's going to be a ton of people there. I'm sure that my parents won't mind."

"How old is your sister going to be?" asked Scorpius.

Rose provided, "She's a first year, Malfoy, so she's going to be twelve."

"Oh yeah," nodded Scorpius. "What do you get a girl of twelve?" He directed the question to the only girl in the group.

"You don't have to get anything," said Albus.

Scorpius said, "It would be rude not to. What does she like?"

"Lily likes Quidditch like James, but I think she just enjoys flying her broomstick more than playing," said Rose thoughtfully. "She likes to listen to music, mostly the Three Sisters. She likes Muggle books, too."

"Which books?" asked Scorpius.

Fred tried to remember. "I'll ask Roxanne. She reads the same stuff. Girly stuff."

"That's mature of you to say that," said Rose mockingly.

"On to other things," announced Fred. "Wood's graduating and guess who's up for team captain?"

"James," replied Albus with a roll of his eyes.

"But that means that there are going to be open tryouts," said Rose eagerly. "I'm going to try out for chaser."

"Beater," said Fred as they grinned at each other. "We might get on the team together, Rose."

"What about the Slytherins? All the teams are having open tryouts so that people can train during the summer and then another set of tryouts at the start of the year," said Rose as she looked pointedly at Scorpius.

Scorpius gave her an answer, "I am not trying out for the team. They'd never let me join anyway. Besides, all that would get in the way of my violin practice." By now, they knew about his regular violin practicing, but he still hadn't really played for them. He was wondering why Albus wasn't trying out, but didn't ask. Scorpius knew when people didn't want to talk about things.

***

Ron followed his gut when it came to investigating. He was Deputy Head of the Aurors, second-in-command. It didn't mean that he was second best to Harry by no means. At first, when Harry was made head of the department, Ron was jealous. However, it wasn't long before Harry had to deal with more paperwork and more headaches that came with dealing with the other Aurors.

It wasn't until Harry went on vacation for two weeks did Ron find out just how much of a headache being head of department. Ron enjoyed the freedom of movement that came with his position. He still had to sign off on things, but not as much as Harry. Ron was allowed to devote more energy on the Goyle investigation.

Ron poured through the paperwork and also set Teddy to task to find out all of the people who were in the photograph. Gentry had been kind enough to have all of the paperwork from Goyle's office handed over. He was a man who had a larger problem of keeping his business afloat while his partner's estate was in limbo. He didn't want trouble with the Aurors.

There was a file cabinet that was sent over because Gentry wasn't able to get it open. Goyle had purchased a cabinet that had a dark spell on it. Obviously something from Knockturn Alley because Ron couldn't get it opened using typical charms. Ron had use a special spell to unlock it. There was nothing neither dark nor sinister other than more paperwork. Ron grimaced at it. There were more delivery records.

It looked like Goyle made deliveries to an address in London many times over the years. The address was squarely in Muggle territory. That was very odd indeed, so much so that it required more investigation. There were a lot of deliveries, but it dated back a number of years almost twenty years. It dated back sixteen years. The first round of deliveries were numerous followed by regular ones every four months or so. Goyle signed off for them.

Teddy knocked on Ron's door. Ron said, "Enter."

"Ron, I have some information about the people in the picture," said Teddy. He sat down. "It's not good."

"What?"

Teddy read off his notes, "Millicent Bulstrode along with her parents was found dead in Montenegro."

"When?"

"About six months prior to the murders of the Malfoys."

"How?"

"The authorities over there haven't sent in the information. You know we have to go through the International Cooperation Department in order to get them to give us anything, but that's not all. I did get information about Warrington and his wife in Amsterdam."

"Warrington? Don't tell me he's dead, too?" muttered Ron.

Teddy nodded. "His body was found floating in the canal. His wife's body was in their houseboat. They had the same wounds as the other victims. There was a thorough and thorough blast through Mrs. Warrington's hand. She was found trying to protect her unborn child. She was four months pregnant." He sounded hollow. "The strange thing was that it looked like the houseboat. Holes. Lots of holes. Warrington with a lot more holes in his back than Goyle or Malfoy."

Ron looked horrified as he paled. "Did her baby get hit?" he asked.

"Yes, but that's also what killed her. She bled out," answered Teddy. "It was messy. Very messy."

"This bastard killed a pregnant woman, a father who was pleading for his son's life, and another father who tried to save his children only to discover they were already dead," said Ron. He didn't need to be corrected for assuming without further proof that it was the same killer. "When did Warrington die?"

"The August before Scorpius' parents were murdered," replied Teddy. "Is it me are we just turning up more bodies?"

"Parkinson and Montague, what about them?" asked Ron.

Teddy said, "I'm still looking into it. Montague moved out of the United Kingdom to British Columbia, Canada, but he moved since then. He was living there until April of last year. He trained to be a healer at St. Mungo's and had a lucrative practice, so it makes no sense why he'd shut it down. He did it around the time that the Malfoys were killed. And Parkinson has vanished, too. There's nothing after the Malfoys were murdered. She was living in Glasgow and worked as a head buyer for Gladrags."

"And then there were two," whispered Ron. "We need to find them. If they're not dead, then one of them is either the killer or they're both in danger."

"Should I tell Harry?" asked Teddy. "I mean now."

"I'll do it. This was my lead. He needs to know what's going on. Teddy, there's something else. Neville Longbottom has informed Harry that the Dementors attacked the village, but they seemed to have targeted Scorpius."

Teddy's hair flickered and changed to a mousy brown from bright green. "Dementors? Is he all right?" he asked.

"He's fine. No permanent damage, but he collapsed during the attack. Neville cast a patronus and sent them on their way. Professor McGoganall has decided to tighten up security surrounding Scorpius. Neville will be investigating the forest with Professor Larkin to make sure that the Dementors stay within their boundaries."

"This is serious," whispered Teddy. "I've got to tell my aunt if she already doesn't know."

"Harry's concern is the scar on Scorpius. The scar flared up just before the attack. The scar also did the same thing during the murders of the Goyles. Whatever is happening, it's happening to him. We don't want Scorpius to be the one telling us another murder is happening," said Ron solemnly.

"What can you do?" asked Teddy.

Ron answered, "Scorpius needs to be trained to handle it. He needs to cut off his mind from it."

"Neville's already helping him cast a patronus, so that's got to help."

"It's not enough. He's informed us that Occlumency is needed. It is an art form just as it magic. It is a very difficult form of magic to learn. I can count the number of people living and who can do it right on one hand. Well, only two really. The others I know of are dead."

"Who?"

"Harry," replied Ron as he counted down with his fingers, "Narcissa Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, Severus Snape, and Voldemort."

"Um…three of those people are dead. Wait, Scorpius' father knew how to do it, but he didn't teach his son?" Teddy paused, and then said, "Aunt Cissy never said she could do it. She could do it. She could teach him because she's probably the same person who taught her son."

"Scorpius has expressed that he doesn't want his grandmother to teach him," said Ron. "That leaves just Harry."

"Oh, I don't think Scorpius likes him very much," murmured Teddy. "It's not that he hates Harry or that he's picking up any of that old hard feelings that his father had towards Harry, but he doesn't like him very much."

"We gathered that," said Ron. He thought that it was so strange. "Why is that?"

"I have no idea," replied Teddy. "Scorpius hasn't really written about him. He is aware that the press has had a field day with their comparisons between him and Harry. It's not difficult for anyone to make that leap. He feels uncomfortable from all the attention. He once said that he wishes that he could just disappear." All of this was part of private conversations Teddy and Scorpius had.

"Harry is more like him than anyone else," said Ron. "Maybe that's why he doesn't like him."

"Scorpius will do whatever it takes to keep his grandmother happy and to not give her trouble. He'll agree to do the training, if only to keep her from being angry with him."

"So, you'll help convince him that this is for the best."

"Yes, of course."

***

"Are you sure about this?" asked Scorpius as he and Albus walked towards the broomstick shed. He had his hands in his pockets as he walked along. "You know if you wanted to see the tryouts for yourself, you could have just tried out."

"Yeah, like I'd do that," replied Albus sarcastically. "Look, it's just a little look and we'll just go flying after." He looked at Scorpius. "What kind of broomstick do you have, Malfoy?"

"A Sonic Boom Mach Special," replied Scorpius.

Albus' jaw dropped at this, and then he snapped his mouth closed. "You've got a Mach? A real one? Those are custom built and worth a fortune," he sputtered.

"It's not here. I left it at home," Scorpius informed him, feeling uncomfortable. "It was a birthday present from my grandfather."

Albus' brows furrowed as he said, "I thought you said your grandfather didn't give you a present."

"It was for my thirteenth birthday," clarified Scorpius.

"Oh," said Albus, understanding why it wasn't that important to Scorpius. That was probably the last present he ever received from his grandfather since the murders of his parents. Albus didn't press for details, even though he like everyone was very curious about it. Rita Skeeter was out in full force with details about the murders, but Scorpius did nothing to explain anything. He simply ignored it along with everyone's questions.

When they got to the shed, Albus got his broomstick while Scorpius made do with one of the older school broomsticks that were practically ancient. He didn't seem to mind at all and they took off for the pitch. They hovered over the pitch and Albus drew out a telescope to get a better view of what was happening.

"Looks like Fred's up for his tryout. I hope we haven't missed Rose's," said Albus. Scorpius was about to say something, when Albus suddenly hissed, "Move!" They dropped down immediately as a bludger came close to them. It came hurtling back at them and they split up to avoid it. Neither of them had bats to hit the bludger away with. "Fly!" shouted Scorpius.

Albus flew in the opposite direction as Scorpius, now regretted the school broomstick. Albus climbed upwards as the bludger came at Scorpius. Sheer instinct took over as he forced the broom to go into a deep dive. Albus watched in horror as Scorpius plummeted to the ground. By then, his brother along with the other members of the team caught up wit him.

"Al! What the bloody hell is going on?" yelled James.

Louis was diving to hit the bludger, but the most remarkable thing happened. Scorpius at the very last second pulled up in a Wronski Feint. The bludger plowed into the ground making a great rumbling show like a meteor hitting the Earth. Louis stopped immediately staring at Scorpius completely gob smacked. "What was that?" he demanded after the shock wore off. "I've never seen anyone do that to a bludger before."

James scowled as Albus touched down beside him. Scorpius dismounted as James jumped off his broomstick, coming straight at him with the broomstick in his hand. Scorpius stood his ground. "You were spying on us!" exclaimed James.

"I couldn't even see from where we were, Potter," said Scorpius calmly.

Wood interrupted, "Malfoy doesn't even go to the games, Potter." He added, "That was amazing how you dodged that bludger."

"Not really," said Scorpius. He could tell what they collectively were thinking. "And no worries. I'm not going to try out for the Slytherin team. I wouldn't help those gits win the cup if my life depended on it. I'm really not that good."

"Still, he could go and tell them what's going on," insisted James.

"They wouldn't believe me," scoffed Scorpius.

"James, it was my idea," said Albus finally. "We just wanted to see how it was going. That's all."

"You could have gotten hurt, Al," exclaimed James.

Albus didn't look sorry. Instead, he looked just as furious as James. It was startling for Scorpius to see Albus like that. Whereas James got red enough to match his hair, Albus looked a bit paler as he trembled with anger. It was at this point that Scorpius took a prudent step aside.

"Like you even care!" roared Albus. "You know why I didn't try out?" James shook his head, quite alarmed at the fury he was facing. "I couldn't stand the thought of you pushing me around in front of everyone else even more!"

Recovering a bit, James fired back, "I'm older!"

"That doesn't mean you're better than me!"

There was a silence that was only broken when Albus lunged at James who threw down his broomstick to block him. Wood pulled on James as Louis tried to get Albus off his brother. There was shouting. Scorpius helped Louis get a hold of Albus. Scorpius narrowly missed Albus' elbow.

"Enough!" shouted Madam Hooch. She heard the ruckus and saw that Albus had a cut on his lip while James had a bruise forming under his left eye. "Get back to the pitch if you're on the team or trying out at once."

James mounted his broomstick and took off with the rest of the team after one last scornful look at either Albus or Scorpius, or both. Scorpius stood still as Albus found the ground interesting. Madam Hooch looked at the bludger. "Who did this?" she asked sharply.

"Me," answered Scorpius with a rising of his hand. "It was me."

"Mr. Malfoy, you damaged school equipment," said Madam Hooch.

"I know. I'm sorry," said Scorpius. "It was my idea to spy on the practice. Albus tried to stop me. He even took the telescope away from me. I started the fight with his brother."

Madam Hooch looked at Albus and she could clearly see that he was the one involved in the fight, not Scorpius. Albus was about to set her right when he was cut off by Scorpius, "Albus tried to stop the fight." Again, that's not what it looked like to Madam Hooch because her sharp eyes clearly saw Scorpius was the one holding Albus back with Louis. "Both of you will have detention. I will report this to your heads of house."

"Yes, ma'am," they said in unison.

"Take Mr. Potter to the infirmary, Mr. Malfoy," ordered Madam Hooch.

Scorpius nodded and they went back to the castle after collecting their broomsticks. They waited until they were out of earshot before Albus said, "You didn't have to take the blame, Scorpius. Why?"

It occurred to them that they were calling each other by their first names. This was a bit unsettling. "It's easier for people to believe that it was me, not you, Al," said Scorpius knowingly. "I'm the son of a lying, turncoat Death Eater, and you're the son of the greatest wizarding hero."

"Your father being a turncoat Death Eater means he was actually good," Albus let Scorpius know.

Scorpius faintly smiled, "I never thought of it that way."

They went all the way to Madam Pomfrey. She patched Albus up with a simple healing charm. Scorpius suggested, "Get a letter to your parents before the school does and before James has a chance to get one out."

"Good idea," agreed Albus.

"I'll put these back," said Scorpius, holding up the broomsticks.

Albus knew that whoever got word back home first would win this one. He sprinted to the owlery. It was a good thing that the tryouts always lasted for so long. Albus was able to get a letter out long before the practice was over. Rather than lie like Scorpius had done with Madam Hooch, Albus told the whole truth, or at the very least his version of events.

* * *

Author's Note: Scorpius' life takes a turn for the better as he finally makes a friend. Albus and James aren't done yet. James isn't really a bad kid, but he's a bit obnoxious that's all and he is only trying to protect his brother and cousins. He just doesn't like the idea of an outsider encroaching upon his family. When I read the epilogue of book seven, I sort of imagine him as someone who appears very insensitive and that's why Albus had to wait until he was gone before he can express his doubts to his father. Overall, James is probably the most carefree character out of the lot.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	25. Part 25: The Leaky Cauldron

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Twenty-Five: The Leaky Cauldron

A few hours later at dusk, Albus and Scorpius awaited their fate. Professor Borgin wasn't so very pleased with Scorpius in regards to the bludger incident. She was more upset at the fact that Scorpius had cost Slytherin another ten points. Scoprius was her least favorite student even though he was one of the top students in her Potions class. He had cost the house so many points that she had lost count.

On the other hand, Professor Longbottom expressed more disappointment than anger with them. James didn't get off either and was also given detention. Professor Borgin, because she didn't like Scorpius or James, was quite relieved when Professor Longbottom meted out the punishment. After dinner, the three boys reported to Greenhouse Two for hard labor without magic.

"You must be used to this by now," said James to Scorpius.

Only Albus, Fred, and Rose knew about Scorpius' tutoring sessions. The rest of the students were still under the impression that Scorpius was just getting scores of detention for perceived misbehavior. "Yes," drawled Scorpius, "it's like my second home."

Albus sniggered, which James misleadingly assumed that his younger brother was agreeing with him. He added, "I'm surprise that you couldn't get out of it. You're not as slippery as your father."

Scorpius' eyes narrowed at James as he snapped, "Don't you dare talk about my dad like that."

"Why don't you make me?" taunted James.

"That will be enough," interrupted Professor Longbottom mildly. "This greenhouse needs to be weeded and manure needs to be spread on those beds." He pointed to several rows behind him. "Now if you three work together and cooperate, it shouldn't take no more than an hour and a half to get it done. No wands."

Albus stood between Scorpius and James. Professor Longbottom couldn't get over the irony of the situation how things were in reverse. Two decades ago, it was Malfoy who taunted Harry for being an orphan. Now it was the other way around. Professor Longbottom had to nip this in the bud before it got any worse.

Out of the three, Scorpius had the best grasp of Herbology, but that did very little good because James ended up flinging dirt at Scorpius who merely dusted it off. Albus, still mad at James, because of the additional reaming he had received in the common room, ended up shoving him into a patch of Devil's Snare. Acting fast, Professor Longbottom stopped it from choking James and gave Albus a firm talking to. James later retaliated by throwing some exploding thorns at Albus.

It took three hours before they were done. The boys had to go the infirmary to patch up the scrapes and bruises. Even Professor Longbottom's legendary patience had been put to its limits. He went home to the Leaky Cauldron and penned a letter to Ginny and Harry. The only good thing that he took from the experience was that Albus and Scorpius were on a first name basis now.

After the infirmary, Scorpius went back to the dorms reeking of dirt, sweat, and dragon dung. His housemates noticed him, or rather smelled him, but he paid them no mind before going to take a long, hot shower. When he came out, the bathroom was steaming. He heard someone in the dark dorm say, "It doesn't matter how long you wash, you can't get blood traitor stink off."

Scorpius rolled his eyes. The whole house stopped calling him Malfoy ever since he started hanging out with Albus and his cousins. "Blood Traitor" suited Scorpius just fine.

***

Lily's birthday came during the Easter holiday. Scorpius had elected to stay on Hogwarts grounds during that time much to the disappointment of his grandmother. In a show of support, Albus stayed on with him. Fred wanted to stay on as well, but he ended up going home just the same with his sister.

Scorpius had no idea what to get Lily for her birthday, so he settled on getting her some hair clips with tiger's eye beads in them. He had it wrapped in a small box and arrived at the Leaky Cauldron with Albus at the appointed time. Everyone was gathered from the school and family was there as well. Scorpius wasn't used to attending gatherings like these.

Scorpius felt very awkward as he looked around. There were students from the school some of them noticed him and pointed him out, talking amongst themselves. Scorpius wished he could have said something better about some of the adults, but they were also seemingly perplexed by his presence. If this was what it was like for his father when he had attended parties, it was no small wonder why he detested them. Scorpius wanted nothing more, but to go back to Hogwarts and forget the whole thing. However, he didn't want Albus to be mad at him later for leaving early.

Scorpius went over the table that was ladled with presents for Lily. He placed his present discreetly on the table. Even though it was wrapped, Scorpius had written on the label just, "Happy Birthday Lily," and purposefully left his name off. Roxanne Weasley had spotted him and joined him. "Hello Malfoy," she said pleasantly.

"Hello Weasley."

"So what did you get her?" asked Roxanne, picking up the small box. Curiously, she shook it and listened to any noise, but there was no noise and very light.

"Nothing special," shrugged Scorpius. "It would be rude to turn up empty handed."

"Not jewelry then?" mused Roxanne playfully.

Scorpius raised a perfect brow at her. "I don't know your cousin well enough to get her jewelry. That would be a little presumptuous of me, wouldn't it?"

Roxanne looked a little disappointed. That was quickly passed because she knew that Victoire would be there. She did see the present and how Scorpius had left his name off it, and she was going to let Lily know later. Scorpius turned his attention elsewhere. "Excuse me," he said to Roxanne before leaving her.

"Hello Scorpius. Glad to see that you've made it," said Professor Longbottom warmly. "I'd like to introduce you to my family. This is my wife, Hannah, and my daughter, Alice."

Hannah Longbottom gave Scorpius a gentle smile, which he returned with a shy one. "It's a please to meet you, Mrs. Longbottom," said Scorpius as he extended his hand to her.

"I've heard so much about you from my husband," said Hannah as they shook hands.

Scorpius greeted Alice, "Hello, how old are you?" he asked without crouching down. He also shook hands with her.

"I'm four," replied Alice, wiggling her fingers in front of her face. "And it's Ally." She gave a petulant pout. "Daddy shouldn't call me Alice. Only when he's mad."

Professor Longbottom chuckled, "Yes, of course, I forget. Thanks for reminding me, pumpkin."

Scorpius felt a pang in his chest when Ally, for that was what she preferred to be called, said she was four. She said it the same way that Annie had. "How old are you?" asked Ally, fixing her hazel eyes at him.

"Fourteen," answered Scorpius. He showed her with his fingers, displaying his fine musician digits, "Ten of these and four more."

Ally giggled, "Daddy and Mummy need way more than that."

Her parents' reactions were separately predictable. Neville burst out laughing, while Hannah shook her head disapprovingly with slight grin on her face. Most people watching were a bit surprise that Scorpius had very little trouble interacting with a small child. They didn't know he had had two little cousins.

Scorpius spotted something that made him feel more at home. "There's a piano," he said out loud. "Do you mind if I play, Mrs. Longbottom? Please?"

Hannah nodded, "If you want to, go right ahead." She glanced at her husband who shrugged.

Scorpius marched up to the piano and opened the lid. He tentatively ran his fingers along the keys. It was an old piano and slightly out of tune. No matter. Scorpius sat down and started to play the first tune that came to his mind. He played a piece that his father frequently played to calm him down and to get him to sleep. Scorpius' playing drew attention and various conversations ceased in favor of listening.

"I didn't know that Malfoy could play the piano," said James.

Louis and his sisters had arrived with their parents. Victoire said with a nod, "He learned from his father."

Dominique put in, "He's cute. Too bad he's too young for me."

Victoire quickly said, "Good."

Bill shook his head as another person joined their group. "So glad you could make it, Sabine," said Fleur as she kissed the cheeks of the fair haired girl.

James perked up immensely forgetting about Scorpius or that it was his sister's birthday altogether. Louis was unaffected and gave James a sharp jab in the ribs with his elbow. "That's my cousin," he reminded James with a hiss. "And you're my cousin. It would be too weird."

"It's so good to see you, Fleur," said Gabrielle Renoir, the younger sister of Fleur Weasley. The sisters gave each other quickly pecks on the cheek.

Sabine paid no attention to anyone else at the moment. Her eyes were transfixed on the boy playing the piano. She was fourteen, part Veela, and all French. Slowly she sauntered up to Scorpius who was too focused on the keys. Scorpius stopped when she got really close to him. "May I help you?" he asked, looking nonplussed.

"I'm Sabine Renoir, you are?"

"Scorpius Malfoy," he replied without looking at her.

"So how do you know the birthday girl?" purred Sabine.

Scorpius replied, "She's my friend's younger sister."

"James?"

"Albus."

Sabine looked him over. Clearly, she liked what she saw. Here she had profusely complained about attending the birthday party of the Potter Princess. She thought most English boys were boorish and easily swayed. How refreshing it was to be wrong. Suddenly, Paris didn't seem so far away.

"Malfoy? That's French, isn't it?" asked Sabine, dropping next to Scorpius on the piano bench.

"Yes," confirmed Scorpius, uncomfortably. "Some of my ancestors are French." He didn't like the way she was invading his personal space, but it was by the grace of his upbringing that he didn't show it.

Playing coy, Sabine batted her eyelashes at him. Scorpius shifted uncomfortably. Any further along the bench, he was going to fall off. Just then, Lily and her parents arrived. Scorpius along with everyone else turned their attention to their arrival.

Harry Potter was the most celebrated wizard in history. It was like a king had entered the room. Ginny Potter was a perfect match to her husband. Lily stood between her parents, giving an awkward smile. Her father had his hand on her shoulder as she looked around.

It wasn't surprising that Scorpius came. Fred had mentioned Albus inviting him. It did sting that her cousins' cousin was sitting beside Scorpius on the piano bench. He had clapped with everyone else and edged away from Sabine. She was the same age as Scorpius and Lily could see her place her French tipped, manicured hand over his shoulder.

"Let's get this party started," urged Ginny, pushing her daughter to mingle.

"Excuse me," said Scorpius, ever polite albeit a bit strained at this point with Sabine. He gave her a shadow of smile before hotfooting it away from her.

Lily wasn't the only one to notice the interest that Sabine had audaciously displayed for Scorpius. James wasn't too happy about it. Roxanne was having a difficult time not laughing, so much so that she was clutching her stomach. Victoire was about the only adult present who noticed. Her jaw was set as she went up to Sabine.

She guided her cousin away as Scorpius sought shelter. Teddy, who was mixing with a group of friends, grinned at him. "Oi, this is my cousin, Scorpius Malfoy," he announced, putting his arm around Scorpius' shoulders. Upon seeing the anxiety on Scorpius' face, Teddy asked with worry, "Something the matter?"

"Nothing," lied Scorpius, positively jumpy as he looked over his shoulder.

Teddy looked beyond him and witnessed a heated exchange in French between his girlfriend and her cousin. Teddy gazed at Scorpius who slipped behind him. A grin twitched at the edge of Teddy's mouth and his eyes changed from brown to green. "Oh someone's taken a fancy to you, hasn't she?" teased Teddy, relishing seeing Scorpius so unnerved by this.

"I don't even know who she is," hissed Scorpius. "She just started chatting me up." He looked fretfully over Teddy's shoulder. "She's coming this way."

Teddy's friend started snickering. Scoprius took another look at Sabine who was on the prowl, presumably after him. Scorpius wanted to go back to the castle. He never had a valid reason before to dislike socializing, but now he did. He shook his head as he threw his cousin a betrayed, hurt look before slinking off for cover.

Albus and Fred met up with him. "There you are," exclaimed Albus. "Where have you been?"

Scorpius wasn't about to open himself up for more teasing, knowing that Fred would be merciless. "Just mingling, you?"

"Looking for you," said Albus.

Lily walked up to them. "Happy Birthday, Lil," said Fred with a grin.

"Thanks, Freddie," said Lily.

Scorpius also said, "Happy Birthday. Quite a party you got." Scorpius gave Lily a smile that warmed up her insides better than any Butterbeer would. Ginny walked up to them. "Hello Scorpius," she greeted.

"Hello Mrs. Potter," returned Scorpius.

"Is everyone having a good time?" asked Ginny.

"Yes, Mum," said Albus and Lily in unison as Fred and Scorpius nodded.

Sabine managed to locate Scorpius in the meantime. He grimaced a bit before sighing. Albus threw him a questioning glance. Fred's amusement was clearly painted on his face. Ginny was following Scorpius' line of sight to Sabine. She looked to her daughter. Ginny interceded as Sabine approached them, "Hello Sabine. How are you? Enjoying your Easter break?" She put her arm around Sabine and steered her away.

"What was that all about?" asked Albus in a perplexed voice.

"Nothing," muttered Scorpius, quite relieved to be rescued by Ginny. He realized that he was standing closer to Lily than necessary. Really how foolish he must have looked to hide behind a girl who was shorter than the one he was avoiding? He started to laugh.

Lily craned her head up to him. He had a musical laugh. It was the first time she had ever heard him laugh like that. Fred started laughing along with him. "She's got you running scared. Most of the time Sabine just complains about how boring it is and how dull we Brits are," chortled Fred.

Albus roared with laughter as Scoprius shook his head. "I've never had that happen before. I had no idea what to do."

"Just blow her off," Fred advised him. "Her mum's okay, but she always acts so bloody superior."

"That'd be rude," said Scorpius automatically. He sighed as he raked his fingers through his hair. "My mum drilled these manners into me." He would have said more, but someone came through the hearth that he wasn't expecting. He was nonetheless delighted to see her as he came up to her. "Grandmother, what are you doing here?" he asked as he came up to her.

Narcissa was a bit startled to see her grandson. She had clearly forgotten that he would be there, but she pulled him into a quick embrace. "I was invited by Harry Potter," she said as smiled at him. She could see that he was getting taller. Before long he was going to be taller than her. They exchanged kisses. If anyone ever noticed, Narcissa always gave Scorpius two kisses out of habit.

"Mr. Potter invited you?" asked Scorpius as Professor Longbottom came up to them.

"Ah, Professor Longbottom, I presume?" asked Narcissa to the Herbologist. "We've never been formally introduced."

"It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Mrs. Malfoy," replied the professor. He offered his hand and they shook hands.

Scorpius looked back and forth between them somewhat bewildered. "You two know each other?"

"Yes, we do. The professor started to correspond with me after the incident at Hogsmeade," replied Narcissa. "The one you didn't tell me about." Scorpius' eyes flickered only slightly. He didn't write his grandmother about it because he didn't want her to worry about him. It was almost always his reason for not telling her things. This was how they were though as a family. They kept things from each other to keep the other from stressing out.

"Harry and Ron have already spotted us. They've been waiting," said Professor Longbottom.

Scorpius wore a confused expression as he realized that there was something going other than Lily's birthday. "What is going on?" he demanded as his brows furrowed.

"I have to discuss something with Professor Longbottom and the Aurors," replied Narcissa evenly.

"It's about me, isn't it?" assumed Scorpius.

Harry and Ron had come up to them. They could already see that Scorpius was threatening to be fractious. Harry could easily relate to how the young Slytherin felt, but he had to do what he thought was best and he already knew that Narcissa would agree with him. "Excuse us," he said as he cleared his throat.

Scorpius was now upset. "If you're going to talk about me, why shouldn't I be there?" he demanded as his eyes flashed. He reminded them strongly of his father at that moment. He tilted his chin in a very Draco-like manner.

"You will wait until we are ready to speak with you," said Narcissa in a very commanding, yet hushed voice.

Scorpius had to decide if he wanted to raise his grandmother's ire or to be patient and wait for whatever they wanted to tell him. "It's not fair," he muttered. He folded his arms over his chest. He had a very insolent look about him.

"You already know that life isn't fair, my love," said his grandmother, softening slightly. She bit her lip. She found her resolve to stop him waning, especially since he looked so much like his father. "You will go back to the party and we will talk about it later. End of discussion," she said severely. Her voice left no room for compromise.

"This way, Mrs. Malfoy" directed Professor Longbottom. "We'll talk in the office in the back." He led the way as Scorpius was forced to watch with both his jaw and hands clenched. Harry and Ron brought up the rear.

* * *

Author's Note: Scorpius is attempting to have some semblance of a normal life much like Harry did in the story. The next chapter is going to be a continuation. I like naming the chapters after locations where key scenes take place. This one ran a bit longer than it should have, but I couldn't resist throwing in Sabine. She is one of the few original characters that I was looking forward to. This story uses a minimum of them because the characters are so undefined that they're practically original characters.

I also read the most interesting commentary on Draco Malfoy's character and how the sixth book is his coming out party of sorts. Everyone else is so set that it's refreshing to see both Draco and Neville change in the story. I skipped the last two movies in theaters and then watched them on DVD while writing this story. I was going to skip this upcoming one, but my dad wants to go and like a child I must accompany him. The books are always my primary source material. The movies help inspire me to keep going.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	26. Part 26: Still at The Leaky Cauldron

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Twenty-Six: Still at The Leaky Cauldron

Albus had never seen Scorpius so angry. He could practically see the steam come out of his ears. His nostrils flared. "Unbelievable! They just shut me out of it!" exclaimed Scorpius furiously. "It's not fair!"

"Score, calm down," urged Teddy helplessly. "I'm not sure they had a good reason for it." Teddy knew that they were probably discussing the other murders. He wasn't about to tell Scorpius that he was the only survivor of a serial murderer's attacks.

"You know something, don't you, Teddy?" snapped Scorpius. "You're an Auror. You probably know why they're meeting."

"I don't know why they're meeting," replied Teddy truthfully. He swallowed as his hair flickered a bit from russet to blond. "I'm going to get a Butterbeer. I'll get you one, too."

Fred placed his hand on Scorpius' shoulder. "Don't get mad, Scorpius," he said quietly as a grin spread across his face. He reached into his pocket and pulled out something. "Get Extendable Ears," he said the last part even lower. "Nicked it from Dad's workshop. They're new and improved. Prototypes."

"We're going to get caught," voiced Albus.

"I don't care," muttered Scorpius. "Let's use them."

The three boys crept down the hall to the office in the backroom. Fred set one of the ears along the crack at the bottom of the door. He handed the other one to Scorpius. "What are you three doing?" demanded a voice shrilly from behind them.

Rose was standing there with her hands on her hips. "Shh!" hissed the boys at her.

"Go away, Rose," whispered Fred. "We're trying to listen."

"No, my dad and your dad, Albus, are doing some Auror business. It's probably classified, and you shouldn't be spying on them."

Albus straightened up and grabbed Rose by the arm, pulling her down the hall. "That's it! I'm telling Mum and Aunt Ginny!" she exclaimed, breaking free from Albus' grip and running.

"Great," drawled Scorpius. "Leave it to your cousin to rat us out."

Fred opened his mouth to say something, but the door suddenly opened. His uncle stuck his head out. "We heard you four," said Ron, looking mildly amused.

"Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, you will not disobey me again," warned Narcissa. Even though couldn't see her, he could tell she was furious.

Ron looked at the Extendable Ears, having worked with George, he knew prototypes when he saw them. "Frederick, you'd better put those back," he suggested. He saw his wife and his sister, approaching the hall. "Go now." He closed the door.

Scorpius resisted the urge to kick the door. Fred shrugged and picked up the ears and they trudged back down the hall. Albus was standing just behind his mother, looking angrily at Rose. She pointedly ignored it. "Thanks a lot, Weasley," said Scorpius sarcastically. "They were having a meeting about me, so it was my business. You didn't have to go running to your mummy and auntie about it."

"Let's all relax," said Ginny. "Take a deep breath and calm down."

Teddy had returned with the Butterbeer, having heard everything. He handed it to Scorpius, saying, "If I give this to you, you're not going to chuck it at my head, are you?"

Accepting the Butterbeer, Scorpius grumbled, "No. Thanks."

Teddy's grandmother had come up to them. "Have you eaten anything since you got here, Scorpius?" asked Andromeda.

"No," sighed Scorpius, taking a sip. "Aunt Andi."

Andromeda shook her head. "Honestly, you barely eat enough to keep a flobberworm alive." She looked him over. "Come. Let's get you something to eat. Don't make me tell you twice. Believe me, you don't want me and your grandmother both irritated with you."

Scorpius, having retained some common sense, reluctantly nodded. He wasn't about to have both of them mad at him and went along with her to the table with food. His aunt proceeded to fill his plate before he could stop her. He busied himself with eating some food while he waited.

Professor Longbottom soon returned and Scorpius couldn't read him. Was he in trouble for attempting to listen to a conversation that he felt he was privy to? For all the smiles and words of encouragement that Professor Longbottom provided, he was unreadable a great of the time to Scorpius. He didn't care if Harry or Ron was annoyed with him, but he didn't want Professor Longbottom to be. "You have to join us now, Scorpius. Just for a quick chat," he told Scorpius, who could only nod.

Scorpius went into the office and Professor Longbottom shut the door behind him. He used his wand to put a sound barrier. Scorpius saw his grandmother sitting in a chair in front of his desk next to Ron and Harry at the desk. They looked awfully serious.

"Scorpius, Professor Longbottom has told me about the extra tutoring sessions he'd been having with you and about your parents and their meeting with him in this very room," said Narcissa.

Scorpius hadn't know that it was this room, this office, when his father had asked the professor to make the Unbreakable Vow in. His grandmother continued, "And he told me about your grandfather's visit on the first day of school. You should have told me right away." She didn't sound angry. She sounded hurt, and it cut through Scorpius, who looked down at his trainers.

Scorpius murmured, "I'm sorry, Grandmother."

"More importantly, why didn't you say that your scar was troubling you? If you wanted to spare me the worry, it doesn't. I worry more about the things that I don't know about, the things that you don't tell me about. You are just like your father, keeping so many secrets." The distress in her voice was palpable.

Ron poured Narcissa cup of tea, offering it to her. "Thank you, Ron," she said to him, before turning her attention back on her grandson. "Scorpius, the Aurors have reason to believe that your life is in peril."

"Why?"

"I don't want you to be scared," answered Narcissa. "But Harry and Ron have been conducting the investigations. They have come to the conclusion that the person who murdered your parents also murdered your aunt and her family, but you already knew that." Scorpius managed a tight nod as his hand found his side. "Ron's investigation has uncovered that this killer has murdered at least six others."

Scorpius' mouth dropped as his hand pressed harder against his side. He felt his knees go weak. "Each one of the attacks was just as brutal," put in Harry solemnly. "You are the only survivor."

"I think I need to sit down," whispered Scorpius. Professor Longbottom guided him to a sofa. "Six people. Six more people. That's a dozen people, including my family."

"We are doing everything we can to ensure your safety," said Harry.

"Is someone really after me?" demanded Scorpius with understandable alarm.

The adults fell silent. Ron provided the answer, "We are not sure, but we'd rather not risk it."

That was hardly comforting for Scorpius as he covered his face with his hands. "There is one more thing," broached Harry gingerly. "Because of the situation, you need to learn how to do Occlumency. You have expressed that you don't want your grandmother to teach you." Scorpius nodded without moving his hands. "I will teach you over the summer."

Dropping his hands, Scorpius looked at Harry. He didn't look particularly thrilled at the prospect. Harry discerned it, wondering if he had had that same expression when he found out that Snape would be the one training him. Harry wondered how Scorpius truly felt about him. Harry didn't expect to be in the same position as Snape was before. It was a bit different this time around. He didn't hate Scorpius for looking like his father.

"Albus will be happy to have you over during the summer. He's already been asking if he can have you over," Harry informed Scorpius.

Narcissa added, "He's also invited to come to Manderlay as well."

Neither boy ever had a friend come over before. Scorpius smiled a little. "We are continuing to keep investigating," said Ron.

"Security measures have been put in place to ensure your safety. Professor Longbottom has seen to that," said Harry.

Narcissa was now aware of the added protection that her son had given her grandson. It provided some comfort. A knock at the door surprised them. It was Ginny's voice, "Harry, it's time for cake. Your daughter would like to come and join us."

"Scorpius, you can play the piano for the song," said Narcissa, getting to her feet and smoothing her skirt.

"Sure," nodded Scorpius.

They all left the room and rejoined the party. He went up to the piano. He started to play and Ginny said, "One. Two. Three." They broke out song, singing Happy Birthday and Lily blushed a bit.

The rest of the afternoon went by in a blur. Scorpius enjoyed a slice of strawberry cake before leaving to go back to the castle to finish up his homework. He left before the gifts were opened.

Lily unwrapped her presents as her mother wrote down who gave them to do thank you cards later. There were a lot of presents from well wishers who had been unable to attend. Lily came across a small box wrapped in silver paper. "Name?" asked her mother.

"No name," said Lily as she read the label on the tag.

"Scorpius Malfoy," piped up Roxanne as she grinned. "He dropped it off."

Lily, who had torn into the other gifts, stared at the present before carefully unwrapping it. She opened a box that looked like a box for a bracelet or necklace. Inside was a pair of hairclips. The metal was rose gold and the beads were tiger's eye, complimenting Lily's color perfectly. "Those are beautiful," said Ginny.

Out of all the presents, even a brand new broomstick of her own from her parents, the hairclips were Lily's favorite.

***

Victoire Weasley contentedly sighed as she settled onto Teddy's sofa. They had just returned from Lily's birthday party. It was a great party and she was glad to see that Scorpius was there. She saw the way that Lily's eyes lit up at his presence. Teddy dropped next to Victoire.

"That went well," she murmured, snuggling closer to him.

Teddy agreed, "More fun than I expected." He wrapped his arms around his girlfriend.

"She was really glad to see Scorpius," said Victoire absentmindedly.

"It was pretty fun to see him acting like a regular kid," said Teddy. "He's always so serious and closed off."

"Did you see her smile?" asked Victoire.

"Yeah, I did, but he didn't look too excited," replied Teddy. "He was trying to get away from her."

"No, he wasn't," said Victoire, sitting up. "Wait a sec, who are you talking about?"

"Your cousin," answered Teddy. "Our cousins."

Victoire and Teddy glanced at each other. After a second, she asked, "So, you know then?"

He bobbed his head up and down, "Yes, I know that your cousin has taken a fancy to Scorpius. I'm not completely oblivious. It's my job to notice things."

"And you are okay with it? It doesn't bother you? She's like your baby sister. She didn't want you know."

Teddy wore a very confused look on his face. It was his turn to ask, "Who are you talking about?"

"Lily."

Teddy goggled at Victoire. He shook his head very slowly. "I thought you were talking about Sabine," he exclaimed.

"Sabine?" scoffed Victoire, looking deeply offended. "I love her, but I don't like her. I wouldn't wish her on a dragon."

It finally sunk into Teddy as he asked, "You mean Lily fancies Scorpius?"

Victoire nodded, "You didn't noticed how happy she was when she saw Scorpius was there? She blushed all the time when he's around. She can barely string a sentence together when she's around him. He's like you completely oblivious."

"But she's _twelve_," said Teddy. "He's two years and some months older than her."

"Teddy, you're two years and some months older than me," Victoire reminded him.

"Nah-uh," rejected Teddy, shaking his head. "That's not right. Not right at all. They're like MY siblings." Shooting up to his feet, he shook his arms and legs as if he had bugs crawling all over him.

Victoire grabbed Teddy's hand. "You're right though. He's not ready for anyone liking him," she pointed out. "And she's a bit young."

"Oh the bra thing," muttered Teddy as he sat back down. "That's why Lily got so upset."

"Just don't tell anyone," pleaded Victoire, "especially Uncle Harry and Uncle Ron."

Teddy turned to her in horror. "Of course, I won't. Are you mad? I'm not going to be the one to tell Harry Potter that his little girl's fallen for someone. Anyone." He also added after a second, "And I don't want anything to happen to Scorpius."

"Good," said Victoire satisfied.

"Lily who?" asked Teddy as he changed his hair from blond to black. "Who are you?"

Victoire raised an eyebrow at him. "What are you going on about?"

"Nothing. I'm just practicing what I'm going to say when Harry finds out."

Victoire could only shake her head. "You could help out you know."

"Help what out?"

"Lily and Scorpius."

"Oh no! No way am I aiding and abetting this. It's bad enough that I know."

"You said so yourself that it's nice to see Scorpius acting like a normal kid."

"He's not normal. You don't have to know what happened to his family to see that. He's got a lot on his mind. He doesn't have time to worry about this."

"Who are you protecting? Lily or Scorpius?"

"Both," answered Teddy.

"But they would be tres cute together," insisted Victoire.

"Why do girls think it's their mission to pair everyone off?" asked Teddy.

"I just want people to be as happy as we are," replied Victoire.

"Let's just wait and see, Vic," begged Teddy. "Score's too distracted to notice anything."

Victoire sighed, but relented. "You're right. Lily's got to grow up some first. I just don't want it to take ages like it did with her parents, Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione, and us." She made reference to their seemingly lengthy, pre-courtship. "I think they'd be good for each other."

"Leave them be," urged Teddy with a firm tone. "I don't want to think about it. It's too weird."

"Oh come off," laughed Victoire before hitting Teddy with a throw pillow.

***

Scorpius was never grateful to be almost alone in the Slytherin dorms. It was hard to concentrate as he ruminated over the information he had gotten. He always thought on the back of his mind that he was in some kind of danger. He could feel his scar through his shirt. It wasn't hurting him at the moment. He was always living in anticipation of another attack.

The Aurors were doing their job as best as they could. They had too much information to go through, thousands of tips and hundreds of people to question. Scorpius wanted to know who else had been murdered. Did they know his parents?

Scorpius had to find a way to get his mind off it. The quiet of the dorm was getting to him and he simply couldn't concentrate on his homework. He picked up his violin and started to play. It brought him some solace.

* * *

Author's Note: The mystery is starting to unfold a bit more. This is from Scorpius' perspective as possible, but in order for readers to get an idea of what the heck is going on the scenes without him fills us all in. Draco is very much a mystery and yes, the title isn't completely useless.

This is one of the first chapters that was written after the reserves dried up. I am trying to get it transcribe as fast as I can. I have a notepad that I've been handwriting with at work. The updates will be slower from this point onward.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	27. Part 27: Hogsmeade

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Twenty-Seven: Hogsmeade

She stared down at her hands. She could still remember what it was like to move them on her own. Her body was numb and her insides felt dead inside. It had been only a few months since those little girls were killed. She could still remember feeling the warm bodies to check to see if they were indeed dead. Her stomach clutched and churned at the same time, which wasn't good as she threw up again. The whole thing made her sick.

She watched her hands again. They wouldn't be clean after what she had done. She could feel the tears slipping down her cheeks like blood. She buried her face in her hands. She shuddered as she heard the door open. She stiffened. She didn't turn around, knowing full well who it was. She pleaded again, "Please just kill me. I don't want do this anymore. Please." Her voice was raspy as if she hadn't used it in a while.

"Come now, sweetheart," purred a voice. It sent chills down her spine. "Don't you want to love me?"

She shook her head. She started to rub her arms. If she wasn't washing them, she was rubbing them. They were raw and red. Then, she felt her arms pull apart. Her body was jerking upwards as she willed herself to stop. Her will wasn't strong enough as she felt pain shooting through her as her feet and legs pivoted. She moved towards. "It's almost over," he told her. "Just one more to go and a few loose ends. That's all."

He reached out touching her cheek. "Kill me," she whispered. "Please just kill me."

"Not until we're done, my sweet," he chuckled softly. "You know you disappointed me when you left the boy."

"I didn't mean to," she cried.

"And I forgive you. You'll fix it soon enough," he said almost tenderly. There was nothing tender about him. He didn't kiss her out of love or any emotion close to it. There was no passion, only possession. He kept his wand in his hand, making sure to keep the spell over her. He couldn't risk her fighting back.

***

Scorpius coasted through the remaining part of the school year with little incident. Albus continued to hang out with him. They were best friends before either knew it. The school accepted it. Most everyone saw it as highly irregularly and assumed that Draco Malfoy was spinning in his grave. Harry Potter's opinion was unknown, but he had no objects.

Both boys were generally quiet. It was difficult for either one to make friends outside of their respective families. Scorpius was withdrawn, but not typically shy. Whereas Albus was in the shadow of his father's overwhelming fame and reputation, so he stuck close to his cousins. Albus was the shy one between the pair, but he was the one pulled Scorpius out of his protective shell.

"I just got back a letter from my dad," said Albus. "He said that you can come over."

Scorpius was aware of this upcoming invite. He already knew why he had to go to the Potters. He forced a smile on his lips, "Really?" He thought of something. "What about your mum? Is she okay with it?"

"Dad wrote, 'Your mum would be delighted to have him over,' so she's cool with it."

"James and Lily may not like it," murmured Scorpius. James was very vocal about his opinion, though completely unwarranted it was. Lily's opinion of Scorpius was a mystery to him.

"Who cares?" scoffed Albus. "You're _my_ best friend and if they don't like it, then they can jump in the lake."

Scorpius laughed. "Maybe you can come over to my house," he said, knowing that it was suggested by his grandmother. "I've never had anyone over before. Then again, I've never had anyone to invite."

Albus grinned, "Me neither. I've just had my cousins over. Most people only want to come over to see my dad or mum."

"I don't think my grandmother would mind having you over, but she'll probably try to cram as many of her sweets down your throat as possible."

"That's all right by me. I'd like to see your house."

"It's not as big as my grandparents' houses, or my aunts, or the vacation home at Lake Como. So don't be shocked."

Albus was one of the few people that Scorpius had confined in. He knew that Scorpius had inherited more property than he could possibly use. Scorpius never flaunted his wealth and Albus knew that he would have traded it all for the lives of his family. Scorpius found it difficult to spend the money on himself.

Of course, the Potters were also wealthy, but modest in comparison to Scorpius' inheritance. Albus had seen Scorpius drop galleons into jars and cans for charity when they were in Hogsmeade. He would buy the butterbeer all of the time, if Albus didn't stop him. They alternated who paid. Scorpius bought school supplies and owl treats for his owl, but not much else.

Scorpius was jealous of Albus. A mention of a letter from his father was enough to send twinges of envy through him. It also was enough to make his chest hurt. Over the course of the remaining school year, Scoprius had learned a lot about Albus' parents. However, it wasn't enough to humanize them, especially Albus' father, who remained an intimidating figure to him.

Scorpius told Albus a little bit about his parents, but he barely said anything. He hadn't told him about that grim Christmas or about the aftermath. He didn't want Albus to think of him as a freak like all of the Slytherins.

They were joined later on by Fred and Rose. Whilst Rose was still aloof, and wry of Scorpius, Fred had warmed up even more. He found it too annoying that Scorpius called him by his last name, so he refused to respond until Scorpius called him by his first name. On top of that, Fred made it his daily mission to get Scorpius to smile and tried to get him to laugh at least once a day. At first, Scorpius found Fred's attempts irritating, but eventually accepted these irritations as well meaning.

They started to walk to Hogsmeade where George Weasley was waiting for them at the Weasley Wizard Wheezes. His concern about him was almost as much as his brother's and brother-in-law's. Scorpius always came in with Fred, Albus, and Rose, but never bought anything and only browsed. Nothing enticed him, but he said he like to look.

As they walked in, Albus mentioned the invitation to Scorpius' house. With mock hurt, Fred declared, "Oh, I see how it is. You invited, Al, but not me."

"You don't have to beg, Fred," drawled Scorpius.

Fred sighed, "Apparently, I have to."

"What are you up to?" asked Fred's father.

"Hello, Dad," greeted Fred, and then he explained in his most tragic voice, "Dad, Scorpius invited Al to his house, but not me."

Scorpius rolled his eyes, "It's not even set. I've got to check with my grandmother first."

"And I invited him to my house in exchange," added Albus.

George chuckled as he looked at the boys. Rose had already separated from. Each one looked so different from the other. Fred had taken after his mother in the looks department and was as dark and as beautiful as she was, but George knew that Fred was as playful as his namesake. "Actually, we practically live in our shops, Fred, so technically speaking you've invited Scorpius before Albus," pointed out George.

"Is it all right if Fred comes over to my house then, Mr. Weasley?" asked Scorpius.

"Fine by me," replied George. He laughed again. "Your grandmother will really enjoy having a bunch of boys running about the house."

"It'll just be the three of us, Uncle George," said Albus.

George shook his head. "Even so, I'm worried for Mrs. Malfoy."

Scorpius said with unflinching calm, "She survived her home being invaded by Death Eaters for two years. She won't have trouble with us."

George's smile faded a bit. Scorpius had a way of disarming adults. He spoke with a calm, frank voice that many adults couldn't do. George understood Ron when he said that Scorpius was like Harry. He carried himself almost the same way and avoided looking at people who stared at him, ignoring them completely. Unlike Harry, Scorpius wasn't a hero, only a victim and a survivor.

There was someone else who had been waiting, practically chomping at the bit to have just a few words with Scorpius Malfoy. She had heard that he could be seen going into Hogsmeade when the other students were. He hung out with the child of the world's most famous wizard and from accounts and sources from inside the school they were friends, best mates.

Now Scorpius lacked the title that Harry Potter possessed. How she wished that Scorpius would be as obliging as his father was at that age, but he never responded to any requests for interviews. How vexing it was.

She was sitting on the ledge of the window outside. She watched the boy talking to the Weasleys and Albus. He wandered around the shop with his hands in his pockets. He made no move to reach out and touch things. He never noticed her even when he went up to the window. Who would notice a beetle unless they were looking for one?

Scorpius hardly found anything tempting enough to buy, even knowing that Fred would get him a discount that he didn't really need. He knew better than to sample any of the sweets that Fred's father sold. He just liked the atmosphere of the place. It was bright and filled with wonder. He could lose himself for a few moments just looking around, forgetting where or who he was exactly. It made him feel almost normal.

Albus came up to him. "You know if there's anything you want you can use my family discount."

"No, there's nothing I want," said Scorpius.

"Just saying," said Albus. "You know you're just a tease coming here and looking, but never buying."

Scorpius blandly said, "I don't need anything. Wants and needs are different. My dad spent a lot of time explaining the difference. I guess it didn't really sink in until now." He thought about all the times he had pestered his father over something he wanted and how his father would gently, but firmly turned him down most of the time, a pout and teary eyes sometimes worked in swaying his father. When he was younger, he did what his mother had done to his father, assaulted him with kisses until he capitulated and gave him what he wanted. Now, Scorpius could get whatever he wanted to buy, but stopped himself. It all seemed pointless as his father used to say.

Albus watched the look on Scorpius' face, being friends with him wasn't easy. He had a feeling that Scorpius didn't trust him. "Hey, it doesn't hurt just to look," he agreed.

Scorpius sighed. He knew he was depressing at times and he couldn't understand why Albus put up with him. Then again, Scorpius noticed how Albus had a hard time with people talking about how famous his parents were. "Do you mind if I head over to the pet shop? I need to get some owl treats for Artemis," said Scorpius.

"I'll meet you there," said Albus. He had a snow owl named Gandalf. Lily called the owl, Gandy, for short and he sometimes he didn't listen to Albus. "I need to get some owl treats, too."

"I'll pick some up for you and come back here," said Scorpius. "No sense in both of us going just for owl treats." Albus shrugged, but nodded. Scorpius took his leave.

He went out of the store on his own. He didn't know that the beetle on the window sill followed him. Scorpius didn't think much of it. He wasn't in any real danger. His scar wasn't burning or itching anymore than it normally did.

Scorpius went into the pet shop and bought the owl treats. He was just about ready to get out when someone he had never met before strolled in. "Scorpius Malfoy, you are a very hard young man to get a hold of," she said, peering at him over her glasses.

Scorpius stared at her, completely off guard, "Excuse me, do I know you?"

"Rita Skeeter with _The Daily Prophet_," replied the blonde as she stuck out her hand.

Of course, Scorpius knew who she was. How many times had she written to him requesting a statement or some kind of exclusive? He had managed to evade all of the reporters who had wanted an interview with him. "I've spoken with your father before," she said. "He was one of my sources during the Triwizard Tournament. I was hoping that you would be as forthcoming."

Scorpius' throat was dry as he looked for a way out. Without saying anything, he managed to get by her and make a dash for the door to get out of the pet shop. No such luck because she started coming after him. "Everyone wants to know about you, Scorpius. Everyone wants to know your story. How does it feel to be the only survivor of your parents' murders?"

This made Scorpius stop and face her. He was in the middle of the street. His throat constricted as the familiar burn started in his side. He had no idea that there was someone else who watched over him. A hand clamped over his shoulder. "Excuse me, Rita, but I think that Scorpius doesn't want to speak with you," George informed Skeeter in a very calm, almost jovial voice.

"He hasn't said anything, Mr. Weasley," said Skeeter coolly. She said the next part very carefully as if she had had a lot of time to rehearse it, "After all, he's almost as famous as your brother-in-law. The boy who survived the Christmas Day Massacre. Doesn't have as much a nice ring to it, but we could come up with something else."

"No comment," said Scorpius finally in a very stony voice. It took a lot of strength in him not to really tell her off.

Rita Skeeter smiled. "So you can speak. Just one statement about the current investigation on the deaths of your family members, if you please."

James, Louis, Fred, Rose, and Albus came out just when George had gone to see what was going on. Scorpius assumed a haughty tone that his father was known to use frequently when he was the same age, "I'm going to take a play out of the family play book, Ms. Skeeter. I've got lawyers. If you print one word about this to anyone, I will own _The Daily Prophet _after I sue you and them for libel."

"There you go, that's your comment," said George as he smiled and guided Scorpius back inside the shop. He said after shutting the door, "I think you'd better stay here until she goes away, Scorpius."

James and Louis were laughing. Fred looked impressed, while Rose shook her head. Albus said, "My mum works for the Prophet. You'd be her boss." James stopped laughing at that point.

Scorpius shook his head, saying, "I'm not going to sue anyone. She just got to me. I shouldn't have let her get to me."

"You should have seen how she got to Harry," said George.

Scorpius glanced at George. "Thanks, Mr. Weasley, for getting me out of it. By the way, she said something about my dad talking to her before during the Triwizard Tournament. That was ages ago."

George rubbed the back of his neck and turned his head a bit. Normally he'd feint not hearing out of his good ear, but seeing the look on Scorpius' face, prompted him to say, "Your father along with most of the Slytherins were giving exclusives to her about Harry's movements and other pieces of gossip. Your father led the charge." He could hear out of both his ears just fine.

"Oh," said Scorpius simply. He had his hand over his side.

George couldn't help, but ask, "What's wrong with you? Does your stomach hurt?"

Scorpius withdrew his hand from his side. That's right. No one here knew about the scar. Not even Albus. "Nothing," he answered, trying to appear as normal as possible. "Oh, Al, here are the owl treats for Gandy."

"Don't call him that, too," complained Albus. "His name is Gandalf after the wizard in _Lord of the Rings,_ not Gandy. I really wish that he'd stop listening to Lily. He's my owl."

"Sorry, _Gandalf_," corrected Scorpius, trying not to laugh.

George couldn't help but re-live some of the moments he had witness between Harry and Ron over the years, but the roles seem oddly reverse this time around. Albus seemed to be more like Ron in this dynamic and Scorpius was like Harry. There were some differences. Both boys were well known for different reasons and both from well-to-do families. George could completely understand why Harry felt he had to protect Scorpius.

The kids stayed in the shop for another hour before returning to the castle. George pulled James and Louis aside and ordered them as gently as he could, along with a bribe to seal the deal, to escort the others back to the castle to keep an eye on them. As soon as they left, George went back to the London shop so that he could tell Ron what had happened at Hogsmeade.

***

Professor Longbottom wasn't amused by Scorpius' report about Skeeter harassing him in Hogsmeade. He made sure to call up Hermione and let her know about it, so that she could have a chat with Skeeter. Meanwhile, Professor Longbottom and Scorpius worked on his patronus, which was coming along much more.

It was a slow progress, but Scorpius' patronus was no longer just silver vapor. It was starting to take a shape, but it was difficult to tell what it was just yet. Professor Longbottom could make out some kind of wings and praised Scorpius on his progress.

"You'll be able to do it when it counts, I'm sure," said Professor Longbottom confidently.

Scorpius was exhausted as usual after these particular tutoring sessions. He said, "I'm not so sure about going to see Mr. Potter." He was leaning against the wall and ran his fingers through his hair. His hand stopped at the back of his neck. "You know about the summer lessons."

"You don't like Harry, do you?" asked Professor Longbottom in a straight forward manner.

Scorpius sighed without looking at him. "Skeeter said that I was like him. That I'm almost as famous as he is, but there's nothing special about me. The people I love are just dying around me. And the last time I saw Mr. Potter, I was such an ungrateful brat to him. My mum would be so mad at me for being so crossed with him." He thought about just what his mother would have told him.

"Harry understands. He understands better than anyone," said Professor Longbottom. He noticed how Scorpius had avoided answering the question. "He is struggling with how to deal with you."

Scorpius stared at Professor Longbottom. "Why?"

"You remind him of himself at this age," replied the professor. "Harry went through a lot. He lost so much. To see someone else go through it, reminds him of it."

"At least everyone knew who murdered his parents," said Scorpius. "Not knowing is worse."

"You are safe here," Professor Longbottom reassured him.

"That is hardly comforting. What about all the other people? My cousins. My aunt and uncle. Did you know Gregory Goyle was my godfather before he was my uncle? My dad and my aunt didn't really get along. Only for the sake of my mother and me did they try to at least be civil to each other. They use to say the most horrible things to each other. It was all in good fun. What most people don't understand is that for the Malfoys: family is everything."

"What about your grandfather?"

"I don't blame him partly. Maybe he's right. I'm damaged goods," replied Scorpius. His hands were behind his back. "I'm worried about what will happen to the people around me. I worry about my grandmother at home and even you. Everyone I care about." He swallowed.

"Scorpius, don't blame yourself for what happened to your parents or to anyone. You are not damaged goods. Everyone has something that makes them imperfect."

"Do you think that Mr. Potter likes me?"

"I believe he does. You must give him a chance."

"You're hoping that the life he has is the one I'll have, too."

Professor Longbottom smiled at him. "More than anything that's what I wish for you, Scorpius."

"I don't know if I deserve it," said Scorpius wistfully.

Professor Longbottom put his hand on his favorite student's shoulder. "Your father would disagree with you. That much I am certain."

* * *

Author's Note: The beginning is more of an interlude. Who are the two in the opening scene? Any guesses? The killer is twisted and evil. As if people don't know that. Mysteries have always been my favorite genre. And yes, there were references to other works that I've read and loved. I just had to throw in Albus' owl. This is one of the first complete chapters since the reserves have run out. I'm trying to catch up with the handwritten stuff from work, but it's a slow going process. Yes, I do write when I'm supposed to be working. If I get fired, it will be in the name of fanfiction.

Scorpius is about to become a guest at the Potters' house. Now Scorpius is a bit depressing. So was Harry, which didn't make him my favorite character in the books. I think though that Scorpius has more control over his emotions than Harry did, which is something that he got from his father. As Rowling put it, Draco Malfoy was very good at compartmentalizing his life.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	28. Part 28: Hogwarts Express

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Twenty-Eight: Hogwarts Express

Harry Potter had a feeling that Lucius Malfoy knew more about his son's murder than he had ever let on. Harry had given the man some peace because it seemed cruel to accuse a grieving father that he was holding back on vital information. Besides, all signs indicated that Lucius had nothing to do with his son's murder nor did he have any contact or activity regarding it before or after. Lucius was too focused on the divorce proceedings with Narcissa, but Harry felt it was important to question him about Draco's murder.

So, Harry went to see him where he knew it was neutral to see him: the courthouse. Harry wanted to avoid Narcissa and her entourage of lawyers. Harry wasn't too concern about Lucius and his lawyers. He was more concerned about hurting Narcissa by putting out such a boldface accusation against her estranged husband. Harry had done this without telling anyone. He waited until the meeting was concluded and Lucius split up from his lawyers and headed towards the street.

"Mr. Malfoy, I would like to speak to you for a moment," said Harry with cool civility.

"Potter, what is that you want from me? My wife should have already told you everything. There are no secrets between us anymore," drawled Lucius bitterly. He mentioned his wife and there was a flicker of pain his eyes. Lucius turned around slowly to face him. He looked as cold as ever, but his grey eyes were strikingly similar to his grandson's. Harry found it disconcerting.

"Just a few questions about your son," said Harry.

Lucius sucked air through his teeth. For a long time, he had avoided any thoughts about Draco to penetrate his brain at all. "What do you want? My son is dead. What difference does it make?"

"Justice. And peace of mind for your grandson," replied Harry.

Lucius gave a hollow laugh at the mention of Scorpius. "That child turned out more like his father than I would have hoped. Such trying, vexing child he was even when he was younger. At the best of times he was precocious."

"At the worst?"

"An unholy brat. Like now." There was a slight hint of affection in Lucius' tone.

Harry pressed on, "Did you know what Draco was doing for a living? What he did with his time?"

Lucius was on guard. "My son became a stranger to me after the dust had cleared and all was said and done. Draco and I had our disagreements over things that had happened. And they became worse after Scorpius was born. He filled that boy's head with his ideals. That's why Scorpius is the way that he is now. The more I hear of him, the more he's like his father. He's going to get himself killed."

Harry found that startling. Could it be that Lucius was so hard on Scorpius because he was worried about his safety and well being? It made no sense. Then again, Lucius hardly ever made sense to Harry. "Do you have any idea who might have killed your son?"

Lucius' eyes seemed to cloud over as he tensed up. His hand came over his chest and rested over his heart. He didn't look at Harry anymore. "The Inquisitor killed my son," he whispered. "Now leave me alone." He turned and Apparated away. Harry was stunned.

***

Scorpius breezed through his exams much more easily than his friends did. He also had meetings with the Headmistress to check on his progress. She had given him much to think about. Scorpius had no idea what he wanted to do for a living when he grew up anymore than knowing what his father had done for his. Professor McGonagall said that planning for the future would give Scorpius something to look forward to.

When exams were over, Scorpius packed up his things and went to meet Albus in the Great Hall. There was something nice about meeting with a friend. The Great Hall was bustling with happy students. "Scorpius, have a seat," said Albus, inviting him to the Gryffindor table.

Everyone else was causally sitting at other tables, except for the Slytherins. Scorpius sat down without hesitation, not even a sharp glance from James, could deter him. "Have some toast with marmalade," offered Fred.

"Thank you, Fred," said Scorpius.

The owls began to make their deliveries and join their masters for their trip home. Artemis, being a proper familiar, knew exact where to find Scorpius. She came down to drop his parcel. Scorpius gave her some toast. "What you get?" asked Albus as Gandalf landed with a letter from his parents.

Gandalf was a white owl. He was handsome and clicked at Artemis, who was unfamiliar to him. She turned her tail feathers at him. "Oh, she's not impressed with Gandy," observed Roxanne.

Scorpius opened the parcel. "Here," he offered, sliding it on the table. Fred and Louis made a dive for the box just as Scorpius had pulled his hand away to pour some pumpkin juice. He flinched as Albus laughed, "Better count your fingers, Scorpius."

"I can't wait to see your house, mate," said Fred as the box was passed down.

"You're going to his house, too?" asked James.

Lily, who had remained silent, was just as surprised. She asked, "And you, too, Al?" Of course, Albus didn't have to keep his siblings apprised of his plans, but he nodded.

"I can't believe you're both willing to go to Malfoy Manor," said James.

"We're not going there, James. We're going to Scorpius' house," corrected Albus.

"My parents' house," added Scorpius. "These two wanted to come and see it. Al wants to tryout my broomstick and Fred wants to going to a sugar coma."

"You have a broomstick," asked James in a mocking tone.

Albus' eyes lit up," Can I tell him, Scorpius? Please let me tell him!"

Scorpius sighed, "Go ahead and tell them. I still don't understand why it matters so much."

"Scorpius has a Sonic Boom Mach Special," announced Albus.

Louis almost choked on his pumpkin juice. The majority of them looked stunned. Fred had dribbled on his shirt. "A real Mach?" he gasped. "You have to pay a five hundred galleon fee just to get a consulting appointment with the makers. That's just a meeting to talk about it."

Scorpius had turned a bit pink as he nodded. James was dumbfounded. "Just how rich are you?" piped up Hugo. His sister gave him a sharp kick. "Ow!"

James had somewhat recovered. He scoffed, "It's only a broomstick. Big deal." His hazel eyes betrayed him only a bit. "It's not the broom that matters—"

"—it's the rider," finished Scorpius.

"Scorpius is a brilliant flyer," pointed out Albus. "You saw how he handled the school issued broom to pull a feint like that and plow a bludger to the ground is amazing."

"Too bad you're not in Gryffindor," said Molly.

Louis said, "We'll be fine as long as Scorpius doesn't try out for the Slytherin team."

"They would never let me join," said Scorpius. The news of the bludger reached the rest of Slytherins, but it wasn't enough to entice them to even approach him to join the team. Not that he minded, but he was starting to feel a bit left out of even attending the games.

James said, rather snidely, "Why don't you just buy new brooms for them and they might let you join?"

Scorpius took a sip of his pumpkin juice. His expression was unreadable. The rest of the table sort of tensed up, knowing what James was referring to. Scorpius knew that James was baiting him. He wasn't about to be drawn to it. "As I said, I wouldn't help those gits if my life depended upon it. However, if you'd like a go on my broom, I'd be willing to oblige. That is if Albus, approves," he said rather calmly.

"I don't approve," said Albus rather annoyed at James for attempting to draw Scorpius into a diatribe.

Lily was sitting across from Scorpius. She had almost buttered her hand until Roxanne had stopped her. Artemis had wandered up to Lily. She broke off some of her toast and offered it to the owl. Artemis hooted at her before accepting it. Scorpius was watching. "Just don't go renaming her, Potter," he told her.

Lily was only slightly pink to begin with, but had turned red when Scorpius directly addressed her. His grey eyes were sparkling with amusement. Artemis hooted and flew to Scorpius' shoulder. Gandalf puffed his feathers, and Artemis gave him a resentful screech. "Leave her alone, Gandalf," scolded Albus. "Or you're going into your cage before we have to go to the station."

"They're not even the same species of owls," said Rose.

"Gandalf's too stupid to know the difference. Scorpius got to pick out his owl. Dad and Mum picked out Gandalf for me," lamented Albus.

Scorpius said, "I didn't have a choice. I had to get her alone." Artemis affectionately nipped at Scorpius' ear, sensing that her master was upset. "You got her that day at the bookstore, right?" asked Lily suddenly. It was the first time she had really noticed him. It was like she was struck by lightning and she hadn't been the same since.

"Yes, that's right," affirmed Scorpius. He hadn't really remembered it. Then he recalled, "You knocked me down in the bookstore."

Lily really didn't want him to remember that. "Yep." Lily wore the hair clips that Scorpius had given her all the time. If she wasn't wearing them, she carried them with her.

"But that was all James' fault," revealed Albus. "Lily only ran into you, Scorpius, because James had stolen her hair clip."

"Oh, so that's what really happened," said Scorpius.

James was obviously jealous about Scorpius' broom. There was no way that their parents would get even one for themselves. Everyone knew the starting price just for one was astronomical. The fact that anyone knew someone who owned it was rare.

It was the first time that Scorpius didn't have to worry about where he was going to sit in the coach or the train. Professor Longbottom smiled at him as they all gathered outside waiting for the coaches to arrive. To all the other students, the coaches were pulled by some invisible force. Scorpius stared at the thestrals. They seemed to like him because one of them nuzzled up to his cheek.

"Scorpius, what are you doing" asked Albus.

Scorpius snapped out of it. He blinked. "You can't see them," he said almost to himself.

"See what?"

"The Thestrals."

"What are those?"

"They're the creatures that pull the coaches," provided Rose as she gave Scorpius a long look. "They're kind of like horses with wings at least that's what people who can see them say."

"I don't see anything," said Fred quietly in a puzzled voice.

Scorpius completed Rose's explanation, "The only way to see them is if someone dies in front of you."

"Oh," said Albus.

"Do you mind if I take a window seat?" asked Scorpius.

"No problem," replied Albus.

Scorpius went inside first followed by Albus, Lily, Fred, and Roxanne. Albus sat between Scorpius and Fred while Lily and Roxanne sat across from them. "So what do you normally do for the holiday" asked Fred, directing the question to Scorpius.

"Nothing really," shrugged Scorpius. "Just hang out at home and read, play music, and go to the Lake House. Or at least I use to. I'd go with my parents we'd meet with my aunt, uncle, and cousins." He neglected to mention where the family vacation home was located. He hadn't been there for two years. "I wonder if I should go. It won't be the same though."

The place he referred to as the "Lake House" was actually Palazzo Verde on Lago Como in Italy. None of the people he was used to going there with would be there. His father had taught him how to swim there. His aunt and uncle were married there and his parents honeymooned there. "I could invite you and your families to come over," he said. "I'd like to go back, but not alone."

"How many houses do you have" asked Albus.

Scorpius had to pause to think about it. "Manderlay, Greengrass Glen, Goyle Manor, and the Lake House. Just four," he answered. "I think that's all, but they're not really mine. They don't feel like they're mine."

"I can't wait to see your house," said Fred. "And to have a go on the broom."

"You can go after me. I already called it," said Albus.

"You should bring yours along. There's enough acres to do some flying. My dad used to hit golf balls for me to catch," said Scorpius.

Albus said, "So your primed you to be a seeker?"

"He was the seeker on the Slytherin team for three years. I never really got to play. Your dad was one of the youngest seekers ever in Hogwarts, wasn't he?"

"Yeah," nodded Albus. "But I'm rubbish compared to James."

Lily, who had been staring at Scorpius most of the time, said, "We could organize a game. There's enough of us. All we would need is fourteen players." Scorpius arched one of his perfect brows at her. She got a bit flustered. "There would be twelve of us and with you and Teddy that makes fourteen."

Scorpius cast a sidelong glance at Albus. "How about it?"

"I don't know," objected Albus.

Fred said, "We could see the Mach in action for real."

Albus sighed. "Okay, we'll have a game."

"Did I ever tell you, Al, that your sister is my favorite out of your siblings?" joked Scorpius with a sly grin.

By then, they were the train station. Very quickly, they found a compartment and settled in. Scorpius dug around his trunk for a copy of Doyle's short stories that Teddy had sent in to read on the ride back. He found himself sitting between the Potters. Roxanne was rather enjoying herself watching Lily with Scorpius that she didn't fight her brother for the seat next to the window as she typically did.

Lily felt like her heart was pounding wildly against her ribcage. Scorpius' leg grazed hers and he shifted as son as he noticed her stiffen. She took in his side profile. The boys talked about what they were going to do at Manderlay. Scorpius was much more at ease than Lily had ever seen him. He wasn't the mysterious, brooding lone wolf he normally was. He seemed more relaxed and human. Lily could see that Scorpius had more than one side to him.

The witch with the cart came by. Regrettably, Fred and Roxanne had already burned through their allowances. Albus only had enough for a chocolate frog, and Lily didn't feel hungry. Scorpius, who never had much of an appetite, surprised them by buying much more than anyone had ever seen him.

"You're not planning to eat all of that are you?" questioned Albus.

Scorpius shook his head. "Of course not, I just wanted a pumpkin pasty. This is for everyone. I'd hate to be the only eating."

Fred exclaimed, "Thanks!"

Fred, Albus, and Roxanne dove in. Lily watched as she smiled. Scorpius, noticing she wasn't eating, offered her a chocolate frog. "It's still a long way to King's Cross," he told her.

Lily accepted the chocolate frog. She thought that she'd melt it just by looking at him. She opened it and the frog jumped once before landing in her hand. "Which one did you get?" asked Fred, inquiring about the card.

Lily looked at it as Scorpius answered, "Her dad."

"Not a big deal in our family," said Roxanne.

"Which one? Young Harry or Adult Harry?" asked Albus, sounding a bit amused.

"Young," replied Lily.

Scorpius glanced at Albus then at the card. "You really are the spit of him, Al."

Albus groaned, "Yes, I'm a clone."

"Nah, you're not as scary," said Scorpius.

Fred started laughing. "Uncle Harry's not scary," he chuckled.

"What about you? Uncle Ron says you look just like your dad, too, Scorpius," pointed out Albus.

Scorpius somewhat grinned. "Almost everything. The lips are my mum's."

"Albus and James are his and her sons," said Roxanne. "Albus is Uncle Harry's and James is Aunt Ginny's. Lily's kind of left out."

Fred snorted, "You girls are going to marry out anyway, so no big deal. You and Lily will be someone else's problems."

Roxanne socked Fred's arm. "OW! I feel so sorry for your husbands. I really do." He rubbed his arm. He didn't hit his baby sister back. "Well, maybe not Lily's."

After the food almost everyone dozed off, even Lily. Scorpius was the only one who stayed awake. He didn't trust his mind to have no nightmares even in broad daylight. He was starting to read one of Doyle's most famous tales, "A Scandal in Bohemia," when he felt something digging into his left shoulder. Glancing down, he could see Lily's head leaning against him. Albus had slumped against the corner, next to the window.

Scorpius thought of waking up Lily or at least moving her. He didn't have the heart to wake her. He was a bit jealous of everyone else being able to sleep without intrusive dreams haunting them. He studied her. She wore the hairclips he had given her for her birthday. He knew that was what was digging into his shoulder. Scorpius couldn't see much of Albus in her, but he couldn't see much of James either. Scorpius concluded that she was just herself.

He went back to his book. He couldn't concentrate as he listened to her breathing. He could smell strawberries. The scent was familiar and somewhat intoxicating. Because Scorpius had his book in front of his face, he couldn't see that Roxanne opened one eye, grinned, and then went back to sleep.

Before everyone knew it, the Hogwarts Express pulled into Platform 9 ¾. By then, Lily had thankfully adjusted her head so the clip wasn't digging into Scorpius anymore. As the train pulled to a stop, sleepy students came out of their stupors. Scorpius gently shrugged his shoulders to wake Lily up. "Potter, we're here," he told her, dipping his head closer to her ear.

Lily turned her head more inward against Scorpius' shoulder. Then, she realized what she was doing and pulled away from him in a flash. Her cheeks, which had been their regular color for the last hour or so, became bright red again. She stammered, "S-sorry. I-I'm so s-sorry." She looked down.

"Relax, Potter," said Scorpius. "If I minded, I would have woken you up sooner."

Albus yawned, "What's going on? Are we already here?"

"Yeah, wake up already," answered Scorpius.

Lily felt a bit better. She saw Roxanne grinning at her as Albus got up to stretch. "Did you sleep, Score?" he asked.

"No," answered Scorpius. "I was reading."

The only one left asleep was Fred. Lily could see her parent. Scorpius, not knowing Fred's sleeping habits too well, attempting to do it gently. "You're never going to get him up that way," said Roxanne.

Albus stopped her, "Hang on." He drew out his wand. Technically speaking, they weren't officially out of school until they got off the train. He said a quick spell and put his wand away. Scorpius shook his head, but grinned. Lily and Roxanne started to choke back on their giggles. Then, Albus shook Fred hard.

"Five more minutes," mumbled Fred, trying to wave Albus off.

Albus exclaimed, "We're here!"

Fred jumped up. "Well, about time. Let the summer holiday begin."

They got their things together, and Scorpius gestured for Fred to get out of the compartment first. "After you," he said.

"Thanks."

Before he was out of earshot, they burst out laughing. "Oh, you're evil, Al," giggled Roxanne.

"Come on. Let's get out before we miss all the fun," urged Albus. They disembarked from the train and it didn't take long before Fred and Roxanne's mother pointed it out. "Darling, why are you covered in hot pink spots?" asked Angelina Weasley. She was trying to suppress a smile.

George was beside himself with laughter as the rest of the family gathered. "What are you talking about Mum?" asked Fred.

Angelina fished out a mirror out of her purse, handing it to him. Fred roared, "ALBUS! SCORPIUS!"

The pair were just stepping onto the platform as Lily ran to her father and hugged him tightly. Albus asked, "Why do you immediately assume it was us?"

"I know it was you!" exclaimed Fred. "I'll get you later!"

Scorpius said, "But I don't know why you're yelling at me, too."

Fred snarled at him, "Because you didn't stop him and he's never been good enough at Charms until you started helping him."

Scorpius' grandmother walked up to Scorpius with Teddy not far behind. "Oh my," she said as she took one look at Fred. "Scorpius, I hope you had nothing to do with this."

"No, Grandmother," replied Scorpius.

"Hey, Teddy."

"Hey, Scorpius."

There was a quick round of greetings. George was able to get rid of Fred's spots while Ginny scolded Albus. Scorpius said a quick goodbye knowing that Albus and Fred would be coming over. His grandmother wanted to get him home. It was the first time in two years that Scorpius felt excited about summer vacation. He felt almost normal.

* * *

Author's Note: This is one of the lighter chapters, except for the beginning. Lucius is actually important to the story. Partly in this story, I took the characters that were one notes in the original and attempted to put my spin on things. The updates will be slower as there are hardly any reserves yet. I also forgot to update because things got a little hectic in real life.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	29. Part 29: At Manderlay

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Twenty-Nine: At Manderlay

Harry pondered what Lucius Malfoy had said about the Inquisitor. He had rumors of someone out there capturing Death Eaters that had gone beyond the British Ministry of Magic. He knew that they had fled into the interior of Europe, hiding in Eastern European countries and other more exotic locations. It was difficult enough to take down the ones in England. Even Harry's fame wasn't enough for him to get in on investigations in other parts of the world. People, no matter what language or country they came from, didn't like to have their toes stomped.

The Inquisitor was a phantom. A shadow that lurked behind the shadows and was rarely spoken of. Harry knew that there was one person who knew something about the Inquisitor. Someone who couldn't be completely trusted: Mundungus Fletcher. The coward was still alive and still at his old tricks. Every once in a while, Harry paid him a visit to glean some information from him. Fletcher was always forthcoming, but depending on the information, he would require a certain amount of persuasion. Harry decided to pursue this lead without consulting with anyone back at HQ because this was his investigation.

Fletcher was found relatively easily because Harry never let him get too comfortable. He only allowed Fletcher some leeway, but he never trusted him fully. Fletcher was good for information, not much else. Harry found just inside Knockturn Alley.

Fletcher was even older and smellier than before. He didn't seem all that please to see Harry. He was petrified of him and with good reason. Harry never forgot how Fletcher had abandoned Moody to die.

Harry regarded Fletcher for a moment before stating his business. He made it very clear that these talks were never visits and he never bothered with pleasantries with Fletcher. "I need some information," he stated.

"It's always about that, Potter," said Fletcher in an oily voice.

Harry showed a handful of galleons. "This information might be worth something to me."

"What do you want?" asked Fletcher as his eyes glowed, staring at the coins.

"The Inquisitor."

Fletcher tore his eyes away from the coins, looking Harry straight in the eye. He paled, turning even more sickly yellow than he was before. He reached into his pocket. Harry had his hand on his wand, but didn't draw it. Fletcher had drawn out his pipe and he filled it with tobacco before lighting it. He drew a long drag before saying, "I don't think my life is worth it."

"Your life's barely worth anything."

"You don't understand. The Inquisitor...no one knows anything about him. You don't even say it in these parts."

Harry's brow furrowed at that. It was like Voldemort. "Why not?"

"They say that once the Inquisitor comes after you, you don't have a chance," answered Fletcher as his hand trembled as he lowered his pipe. He spat. "Look, Potter, I'll give you any other information that I have, but not about the Inquisitor. You can keep your money. I don't want any trouble from him. I don't want to end up in Azkaban or worse."

"I could take you into Azkaban for withholding information."

"Jugson was caught in Berlin almost fifteen years ago by him. The Inquisitor took him down and strung him out in front of the German Magical Guard." Jugson was extradited back to Britain for a trial. "Malicber wasn't so lucky. He fell through a big skylight window in Merlin knows where."

Harry had heard of all of these captures. He raised any eyebrow. The Inquisitor went everywhere it seemed. "None of them mention the Inquisitor."

"Of course not. He wipes their memories clean, but he's out there. I think...well...I think he started earlier. Almost twenty years go. Do you remember Fenrir Greyback?" asked Fletcher. He didn't wait for Harry to answer. "They said that the Inquisitor did that."

Harry felt his blood go cold at that. He knew about Greyback. He had escaped from prison eighteen years ago. The Aurors were working double time to find him before the full moon, but for Harry it was personal. He had to comfort Teddy during that time, who was afraid of Greyback coming for him like he had done with his father. Greyback was captured in Wales. He had been shot in the leg with a buckshot full of silver, which was poisonous to werewolves. Greyback's leg had to be amputated because it had taken too long for him to get medical attention. Greyback had no recollection of how he ended up in the woods in Wales and how he had been shot. He had no memory at all.

Fletcher took out a handkerchief and bloated his brow with it. "Keep your money, Potter. And don't come here asking about the Inquisitor again."

Harry didn't even stop Fletcher as he left.

***

"Do you think Dad would have minded?" asked Scorpius the following morning.

"I think he'd tolerate them for you. He was worried about you about not having any friends in school. He and your mother blamed themselves for it. All that traveling and never settling for too long for you to have regular playmate."

"Mum would be making such a fuss about this."

His grandmother smiled, "I'm making the fuss for her. Now what are you planning to do?"

"They're really keen on trying out my broom," replied Scorpius.

Narcissa shook her head. "Boys. I swear I shall never really understand."

"Maybe we'll bring out some of the Quidditch equipment."

"Another thing I simply cannot understand why everyone gets so excited over it. Other than the games at school, I only attended one other match."

"Which one?"

"The World Cup when the final was played in England. When Ireland played…well, I can't remember whom they played against. Your grandfather got tickets and insisted that we all go. I was dreadfully hot and bored."

A knock came at the door and Scorpius went to go and answer it. Scorpius easily guessed it was Albus with his fathe.r He went to answer and they entered. "Hi," he said. "Come in."

"Morning," said Albus as he took in his surroundings. Manderlay wasn't as grand as other family estates. It was still too large for a family as small as the Malfoys, but it was small based on people's expectations.

It was bright and airy with high ceilings. There were minimal decorations with clean lines that made it very modern. The open kitchen was black and white making it look like art deco design. The open floor plan made everything flow.

"Good morning, Mr. Potter," greeted Scorpius politely, if a bit stand offish.

The auror smiled. "Good morning, Scorpius. Mrs. Malfoy."

"Would you like some tea?" offered Narcissa.

"Yes, please," said Harry. The boys went off to put Albus' things away in Scorpius' room upstairs. Harry took that time to ask, "Is he all right, Mrs. Malfoy?"

Narcissa replied, "If you mean has he been sleeping and if his scar has been bothering him He did get enough sleep last night and as for his scar, he never tells me if it hurts or not."

Harry didn't ask any further because the boys came back downstairs. He overhead his son excitedly ask, "So can I try out the Mach?"

"Albus, you're cousin isn't even here yet," interrupted Harry.

"But, Dad, it's a Mach!"

The fireplace ignited. "Oi! Is that you, Harry?" asked George.

"Morning, Mr. Weasley," greeted Scorpius with a wave.

"Hey Scorpius," piped up Fred.

They came through the fireplace. Fred had brought his broomstick along. He grinned and said hello to Narcissa. George did the same routine as Harry, looking around. They all went upstairs to drop off Fred's things.

"I sure hope this house is standing when those boys are done with it," said George. "The kids are used to playing with just family, so it's good for them to get out and meet people who aren't related to them. Scorpius is a terrific kid."

"It's Scorpius' house, not mine," shrugged Narcissa. "If anything happens to it, it's his problem."

Harry chuckled, "Well, I suppose that is the best way to look at it."

"I really should get back to work as soon as I say goodbye, but I hear your grandson has a very special broomstick," said George.

Narcissa shook her head and snorted, "Boys and their toys. They don't really change when they get older. I suppose Scorpius would be more interested if it wasn't a gift from Lucius."

"Has he attempted to make contact with Scorpius?" asked Harry.

Narcissa shook her head again, replying, "The Malfoy men tend to be frightfully stubborn. They'll hold onto their pride when it's against each other. Don't get me wrong. Lucius at one point absolutely adored Scorpius. I did warn him that the traits he found so endearing would one day come back to smack him in the face. Scorpius could get almost anything out of Lucius when he was younger. He got him to read 'The Fountain of Fair Fortune' one time when he spent the weekend with us."

George roared with laughter. Everyone knew, because it had been published, that Lucius Malfoy hated the story. "How in the world did he manage that?" he chuckled.

"Scorpius pouted and looked too cute to resist. Draco read him the story all the time. When he almost cried I couldn't take it myself, so I stayed by the doorway until Lucius read it to him. He had promised and he had to deliver," answered Narcissa, fondly recalling how she stood at the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest until Lucius in his silken voice finished reading the story to their grandson. He even managed to keep the resentment from his voice as he read it. "I don't think that Scorpius remembers that. I don't think he remembers that at one point Lucius was his grandfather."

"Draco was the one who read that story to him?" said Harry.

Narcissa pressed her lips together and gave a tight nod. The boys came back down. "Bye, Dad," said Fred as he gave his father a quick embrace.

Albus repeated the gesture. Scorpius looked on from the sidelines. It was something that was difficult for him to watch. That was partly the reason why he never liked to linger at King's Cross for too long. "I really should head back, but I'd like to take a look at that broom," said George.

"Let's go to the shed," offered Scorpius. The boys were more than agreeable to it. Scorpius led the way, while Harry brought up the rear. He had already been the house a few times. His visits were strictly for business. His eyes were on the protective wards that he had installed on top of the ones that Draco had put in place. Narcissa had agreed it was best not to inform Scorpius of this.

Harry had been to the shed before. He knew about the broomsticks that Draco had kept. Of course, he didn't know about Scorpius' broom until Albus bragged about it at home. James was just jealous about it. Scorpius opened a custom case and the broomstick immediately levitated, knowing its owner.

"The last time I felt this way about a broom was when I saw your Firebolt, Harry," managed George.

"Dad, you could afford one," said Fred, not even reaching out to touch it.

George sighed, "No, it's not something we're going to buy just because we can afford it, Fred."

"That's what my dad used to say," said Scorpius. "He abhorred clutter." Sure enough, shed was organized it was a testimony of someone who was very precise when it came to his things. There were all sorts of tools. Interestingly, they were Muggle tools. Hand tools used for various things such as the ones that Arthur Weasley would have in his shed.

Draco's broomsticks, including the broom Nimbus 2001 he had used as a Slytherin Seeker, hung on the wall. There was a box of Quidditch equipment and a set of golf clubs along with a bucket full of golf balls. Harry said, "Your father was a great flyer. Although I doubt he'd be amused with that bludger incident at school."

"That was an accident, Dad," pointed out Albus. "We got detention for it."

"I once had detention with Scorpius' dad in our first year. We had to go into the Forbidden Forest."

Scorpius' brows furrowed. "I thought that the Forbidden Forest was off limits. Hence the word, 'forbidden.'"

"You're more surprised about that than your dad getting detention?" asked Fred.

Scorpius shrugged, "I've still got more detention than him."

"That's not really detention," Albus corrected. "Those are extra DADA lessons."

Fred agreed, "Yeah, those don't count."

"They help my reputation."

George looked a bit confused about that. Albus and Fred were just staring at the broomstick. Scorpius reached out and took it. They went outside. George and Harry followed. "Here Albus," offered Scorpius as he let go of the broom. It hovered beside him. Since the boys were relatively the same height it didn't make much of a difference.

Albus mounted the broom and it remained inert for a moment before he motioned it to go up. It did so in a smooth action as he ascended; Fred was very antsy, declaring, "Oh I have to have a go!"

"Me, too!" exclaimed George.

Fred glanced at his father. "You said you had to go back to the shop."

"That's the great part about being the boss, Freddie."

Scorpius extended the invitation to the fathers present, "You want to have a go, too, Mr. Potter?"

"Sure," said Harry.

They all had a go, except for Scorpius. He didn't have to. Harry and George left them and went back into the house. Narcissa was watching them from the window. "Those are some fine boys, you have," she complimented. Fred thanked her for the sweets and had shamelessly requested fudge. She didn't mind because Scorpius hardly ate any of it.

"We'll be back to collect them in a week," promised Harry, "or before then, if you'd like. Just send us an owl or call us in the fire."

"Such lovely things," said George in a pitying voice. "Have your wand ready for those repairing spells."

Narcissa smiled as she shook her head. "Now, George, I've dealt with teenage boys. Believe me, I know that accidents will happen. I'm just glad to see my grandson so lively. Besides, like I said before they're his lovely things. See you next week."

The men departed as Narcissa turned her attention back to the window. She saw that Scorpius carried himself with marked maturity compared to boys his age. He had seen more than a lifetime's worth of grief and loss. He actually felt better than he had in ages. The boys took out the Quaffle from the kit in the shed and passed it back and forth. Albus and Fred had to switch back and forth between the Mach and Fred's Lightning Bolt. Scorpius used his father's broom. The latest broom that Draco had gotten was a few years older. It made no difference though. They didn't go back into the house until lunch.

Narcissa had a spread of cold sandwiches and cold pumpkin juice waiting for them. As an added treat, she even fried up some seasoned crisps. She only had a sandwich with tea.

"You should play on the team. You'd be brilliant," said Fred.

Scorpius sighed, "They'd never let me join."

"I'd rather not have you playing anyway. It's just too dangerous," said Narcissa with a shudder. "I was so worried when your father played. And your grandfather encouraging him only made it worse."

"Somehow I can't imagine Lucius being encouraging," said Scorpius. His voice sounded light, but there was an unmistakable edge to it. "But as for Quidditch being dangerous, that's part of the fun, Grandmother." Narcissa clearly disagreed.

Albus said, "With the Mach, they'd be mental not to let you."

"I said I wouldn't help those rotten prats and I won't," said Scorpius firmly. "They hate me and I hate them. If I knew things would have turned out this way, I would have let the Sorting Hat put me where it wanted to in the first place."

"Where'd it want to put you?"

"Gryffindor."

The cousins glanced at each other a bit awestruck. "That does explain a lot," said Fred after a moment.

"You idiot!" exclaimed Albus. "If you were just put there in the first place, we would have been mates ages ago."

"Actually, I was rather surprised and so were your parents when you were sorted into Slytherin," revealed Narcissa. Scorpius gave her a questioning glance. "When you were younger, you were utterly fearless and inquisitive. You'd get into everything and one of your hobbies was climbing bookcases and dive bombing off them."

"Oh yeah, Dad would catch me. He didn't like it as much as I did," said Scorpius with a smirk.

Narcissa couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, you drove him mad. He once declared that your mother wasn't pregnant with a baby, but a flesh tone dormant bludger."

"Your dad sounded like he was cool," said Albus.

Scorpuis had to agree, "Yes, he was cool." He never would have thought that when his father was alive.

After lunch, the boys helped cleaned up. Scorpius showed them around most of the house. Both Albus and Fred marveled at Scorpius having his own bathroom. They had to share with their siblings. There were enough toilets in the house to go around actually. There was a half bath downstairs, one Scorpius' room, one down the hall, and one in the master suite.

The rest of the day went by rather smoothly. Narcissa rather liked having a busy household because it was so much livelier. Over the next week, Scorpius was happier as he had ever been at Manderlay since his parents had died. It was wonderful to see her grandson acting like a teenager. Both boys were well-mannered for the most part.

Albus and Fred discovered that Scorpius was rubbish at wizards' chess. It was gratifying to see because Scorpius was good at almost everything as far as they could see. Albus was quite excellent at chess, having learned from his uncle. Fred didn't have the attention span to learn it well, but was still better than Scorpius. After losing a half a dozen games, only winning one because of Fred's not so subtle coaching, Scorpius decided it was time for another game.

"You're just a sore loser," said Albus.

Scorpius retorted, "One gets sore after losing six out of seven games."

"You won the last one," pointed out Fred.

Albus laughed as Scorpius said, "Thanks, but I'd rather lose on my own ability than with you coughing when I was directing the pieces." He brought out a different game board.

The cousins watched with fascination as Scorpius opened it. "Backgammon is older than chess. My mum's dad taught her how to play and she taught me." He went to explain the rules and how to play. Unlike chess, backgammon had simpler rules. They were used to moving the pieces by commanding them about. Scorpius finished his explanation, "So, who wants to go first?"

"I'll go," said Albus. "How hard could it be?"

Albus should have known from the smirk on Scorpius' face that the game was deceptively easy. He lost because Scorpius had hit two of his pieces, pinning them on the center of the board, leaving Scorpius a chance to bring all of his pieces home. Albus lost the second round when he had hit one of Scorpius' pieces too soon and failed to block that section, making it far too easy to get back in and hit one of Albus' pieces. In the last round, Albus was overly cautious, he was too keen on keeping two pieces together all the time to notice that Scoprius was able to stage final victory by arranging his pieces just so and throwing doubles on the dice to get all his pieces home.

Unlike chess, backgammon was so fast pace that Albus didn't exactly know what had happened. Fred couldn't tell either. He was confused as soon as the first round had started. Scorpius offered, "Fancy a game, Fred?"

"Um…no," replied Fred. He scratched his head. "I don't get it."

"It's a wicked game," declared Albus, "but very cool. Like in chess, you've got to be moves ahead or you'll lose."

"I'm out of practice," confessed Scorpius. "You almost had me in the second round, Al. This is the first time I've played in about two years."

"Thanks for the lesson," said Albus. "So there hasn't been anyone else to play with?"

"Not really," said Scorpius. "My dad didn't really played as much, but my mum taught him, too. He preferred chess, but I've never been good at it. He played with Lucius."

Albus and Fred never really pressed for details about the murders. No one expect for a handful of people knew the extent of the attack and that Scorpius had been nearly killed as well. People didn't know because it was kept out of the press. The cousins did notice that Scorpius frequently placed his hand over his right side. Like most people, they chalked up his lengthy absence from school after the murders of his parents as a long grieving period.

Fred was all right with leaving Scorpius alone and maybe never knowing what had happened. Albus was curious. His father and Uncle Ron knew more than he did about his best friend and that bothered him. Still, he didn't ask. He just wanted Scorpius to trust him enough to tell him. Albus didn't pry into other sources because he wanted to hear it from Scorpius directly.

Growing up, Albus heard a lot of things about his father. Sometimes he'd go directly to him and ask for more details Albus' father always answered his questions with a mixture of awkwardness and reluctance. By the time Albus was eight, he figured out that it was difficult for his father to remember some of the most traumatic events of his life. Sometimes his father was far away even right in front of him. Just like Scorpius was from time to time.

During the week long visit, Scoprius played his violin or the grand piano. He didn't like to play in front of people normally. He was a well-trained and gifted musician. He played in the morning while Albus and Fred were still sleeping to avoid being watched. Albus would lie awake in his sleeping sack, listening to it. Scorpius was particularly reproachful about anyone watching him play his violin except for his grandmother, Teddy, and Aunt Andromeda. It had to do with his motehr's fame and the expectations that he would have some of her talent.

Albus could relate. Fred had it a little easier, but Albus' parents both were famous. That was why Albus didn't really have friends outside the family. During his first year at Hogwarts, almost everyone wanted to be his friend because of his parents. Rose and James handled their parents' fame loads better than him. Still Albus' first year was better than Scorpius'.

"Man, I could get used to this," sighed Fred. He lazily leaned back into the chair.

Albus nodded. "My house is crazy," he informed Scorpius. "There's always a lot going on. It's like the Burrow at Christmas, only half as crazy."

"Going to the Borrow last Christmas was the highlight for me," admitted Scorpius.

Fred chuckled, "Oh, you should have seen your face when Lily's bra hit you."

"I was stunned!" exclaimed Scorpius.

Albus burst out laughing. "The best part was when Lily socked James." He sighed. "One of my best Christmases ever."

Scorpius agreed, "Oh that was good. For someone so small, she literally packs a punch."

"All the girls in the family are like that to varying degrees," Fred told Scoprius. "My sister is just plain vicious. Worst she gets away with it because she's a daddy's girl. My dad spoils her rotten."

"My dad treats me and my sibs equally," said Albus. "Or at least he tries."

"The only time I kind of had that was with my cousins," said Scorpius. "They were cute for only life five minutes after that they got on my nerves."

"They look pretty small, Scorpius," observed Albus as he glanced at the pictures. "I can't imagine you yelling at little kids."

Scorpius ruefully laughed, "I wasn't used to having other kids around. The last time I saw them I played hide-n-go-seek, but hid so well they couldn't find me."

"That wasn't fair," said Fred.

Scorpius smiled, "No, and my dad stumbled upon my hiding place and called out my location."

"I bet they went through all your stuff, too, when they came over," said Albus.

Scorpius nodded, "They did. With two of them, one would get into one place as I got one out of another."

"If you'd like I can get my sister to annoy you and rifle through your things, when you come over to my house," offered Albus.

"I'll pass, but thanks for the offer," laughed Scorpius.

* * *

Author's Note: Yes, Manderlay is named after the famous house in another famous novel, _Rebecca_, one of my favorite books. I have too many favorite books, which seem to bleed into the story. Scorpius' mother was a Ravenclaw. I have been writing these chapters at work. I could get fired. See how devoted I am.

This is a longer chapter because of the beginning. Harry is starting to really get into the investigation. The hint in this chapter goes back to the first chapter actually.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	30. Part 30: The Potter’s House

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Thirty: The Potter's House

Harry continued to investigate the lead that Lucius had given him. It wasn't much of a lead and, as Fletcher had warned him, no one wanted to talk about the Inquisitor. Harry had heard the rumors about the Inquisitor for a number of years, but lately there haven't been any major captures that the Aurors hadn't been directly involved with. Meanwhile, Ron had made some headway in his investigation on the Goyle's murders.

Ron had uncovered that Gregory Goyle handled a special client directly. He had contained all of that information in a cabinet that had a particularly nasty locking spell on it. Ron had to wait for weeks before their experts could get the confounded thing open. Much to Ron's dread, it was more paperwork, but on the upside this set of paperwork referred to the one customer that Goyle had made regular deliveries to. It turned out that Goyle delivered to a warehouse in London's south side, but that was an area that was squarely in a Muggle area.

Now years ago, when Harry became head of the Aurors, he had decidedly taken a more unorthodox approach to the position. He insisted that the Aurors, all of them, be able to cross reference into the Muggle world. That meant access to data that they may come across in their investigations that they wouldn't have otherwise. Once Ron had the name of the client, he was able to do a search and locate the property in London. The property was listed as belonging to the individual. This man's name was Drake Black.

Drake Black was Draco Malfoy's alias in the Muggle world. Ron found out as soon as he pulled up Drake Black's driver's license photo. He immediately sprinted over to Harry's office, who was still wrestling with the Inquisitor lead.

Looking up from his desk, Harry could see that Ron had something very important, "What?"

"Draco Malfoy owed a warehouse in London," replied Ron. "It's on the south side of the bank. Across from the Thames."

Harry said, having practically memorized the properties that Draco had owned, "No, he doesn't."

"Yes, he does," said Ron as he came forward. "Because he was using a different name, Drake Black." He showed Harry the license photo, one of the signed receiving docs from G&G, and a copy of the deed to the warehouse. "It all fits, but why would Malfoy have property in Muggle London? And why would he go under an alias?"

Harry looked at the documents. A sneaking suspicious crept into his mind. He hadn't mentioned his conversation with Lucius to anyone, not even Ron. "Because he was up to something very dangerous," he concluded.

***

At the end of the visit, the cousins' father came to pick them up. Scorpius was packed and ready to go with the Potters. Narcissa gave tins of biscuits to them. Fred and his father left first. While Scorpius and Albus went to the shed to collect the Mach, Harry and Narcissa had a brief chat.

"You're sure about this?" asked Narcissa.

Harry assured her, "It's for the best, Mrs. Malfoy. He's already been through too much. I don't want to see how much more he can take."

"He's strong like his father," said Narcissa, "but even Draco had his limits."

"When was this?"

"Back when he was younger before he got married, Draco couldn't stand it in Malfoy Manor after the war."

"For three years, between the time Draco worked for the Daily Prophet and when he got married, there's a gap in his history."

Narcissa sighed and nodded. "Yes, Draco left England. I told Lucius that we had to let him go. He was like sand. The harder Lucius tried to hold onto him, the more Draco slipped through his fingers."

Seeing the pain in her eyes, Harry had to ask, "Why did he feel like he had to go?"

"Draco felt guilty. He was fully prepared to accept whatever sentence the court would give him, but you saved him."

"I did that for you, Mrs. Malfoy. You saved my life," said Harry. "It wasn't for him at all. What I do now is for Scorpius."

It was apparent that in the kitchen stood a motherless man and a mother who had lost her son. The lost was so much more profound than Harry had imagined. It took the brave acts of two mothers to defeat Tom Riddle. Narcissa smiled at Harry, "I hope that Scorpius will behave. He can be a bit intractable, but you are already aware of that."

Harry said, "He wouldn't be a Malfoy otherwise."

Just then, Scorpius came in with Albus. "Thanks for having me over, Mrs. Malfoy," said Albus.

"You're welcome here anytime," said Narcissa warmly.

Albus beamed at her. Harry asked, "So are we ready?"

"Yes, Mr. Potter," replied Scorpius.

Narcissa hugged her grandson, catching him off guard. "Now you do try and be good, my love," she told him.

Scorpius gave her an almost impish grin, saying, "But I'm always good, Grandmother."

"If only that were true," retorted Narcissa. "Don't give Mr. Potter a hard time and mind your manners. Do let me know if he gets out of line, Harry."

"Will do, Mrs. Malfoy," agreed Harry. Narissa nodded and kissed Scorpius' cheek. He returned the kiss. With that, they departed through the fireplace.

There were three fireplaces in the Potters' house: one in the master suite, one in the living room, and one in Harry's office. For security purposes, the only active one on the Floo Network was the one in Harry's office. Harry took nothing to chance, and he had Ginny installed protectie wards. "Show Scorpius to your room, Al," said Harry.

"Okay," said Albus, "this way I'm going to give you the grand tour, Scorpius."

Artemis was first placed with the family owls in the pen outside. She wasn't happy about having to stay with Gandalf, but she would tolerate him for Scorpius. They went back inside to tour the interior of the house. The first step was Albus' room. It was smaller than Scorpius', but it was so much more infused with personality. There were posters wallpapering the walls of bands and Quidditch teams. "Now this is cool," admired Scorpius. "I've always wanted to put up posters in my room, but my dad wouldn't let me."

"You have a cork board."

"That's so lame. My mum's idea of a compromise," snorted Scorpius.

Albus' ears turned a bit pink. He thought Scorpius was a bit daft for thinking his room was cool, especially if it was half the size of Scorpius' without a personal bathroom. "I'll show you the rest."

Directly across from Albus' room was Lily's. It had her nameplate had her name with a picture of a lily next to it. "This is Lily's room," said Albus. "Stay out of it. It's no man's land."

Scorpius nodded. Then next door to Albus' room was James'. "This is James' room." His nameplate had little flying snitches on it. Albus' had flying broomsticks.

"Where are the skulls and cross bones?" quipped Scorpius.

Albus laughed. "And down there is my parents' room. The bathroom is between their room and Lily's. Let's go downstairs."

Scorpius followed Albus down. "You've already seen my dad's study," he said as they approached the bottom of the stairs. "The living room and the kitchen and the den."

Lily was in the living room after coming from the kitchen. Both she and James weren't informed of Scorpius' visit until Albus had left to spend the week at Manderlay. She gasped when she saw her brother and Scorpius, who said, "Hullo." He flashed her a smile.

Lily croaked, "Hi." She even managed as smile of her own.

"Your brother was just showing me around," he told her.

Albus asked, "Where's James?"

"He's practicing with Louis, Rose, Molly, and Fred," replied Lily, able to turn and face Albus.

"Where?"

"At Shell Cottage."

"Too bad because we've got Scorpius' broom here," said Albus.

Lily's eyes didn't light up anymore than they were already. She was beyond elated that she wouldn't have to wait all summer to see Scorpius. And so far, she wasn't making a complete prat of herself. There might be hope for her yet. Lily had had a whole week to mentally prepare for Scorpius' visit. This was her chance to make a better impression on him.

Ginny entered from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish towel. "Hello Scorpius," she greeted warmly.

"Hello, Mrs. Potter," returned Scorpius.

"You're looking well," observed Ginny.

"Thank you," nodded Scorpius. "You have a lovely home, Mrs. Potter." He said this sincerely.

"Thanks," said Ginny with a smile. "I hope you two didn't fill up on sweets because I've been busy today."

Scorpius said, "There's no need to make a fuss, Mrs. Potter."

Ginny said with a dismissive wave, "Nonsense. You know this is the first time that Albus has had a friend over?"

"Mum!" exclaimed Albus. His ears had turned a tinge of pink.

Scorpius said with a grin, "It was the first time I've had a friend over, too." Then he thought about it. "Where'd the tin of sweets go? The one that my grandmother gave?"

Albus thought about it. "Oh, it's in my room. I'll get it," he replied after a second.

"My mum always said never to visit a person's home for the first time without giving something," Scorpius said.

"I remember your mother. She was just year behind me," said Ginny.

Scorpius blinked in surprise. Lily listened with rapt attention. "Really?" he asked.

Ginny nodded, "Your mum was a Ravenclaw. Sort of shy and quiet who would have guessed she'd be a world class entertainer. She was witty and clever. When I see you, I see more of her than your father. No offense to your dad."

Scorpius swallowed. He missed his mother so much. "My dad and my mum were talking before. It was a while back. My dad said it was a shame that you didn't keep playing with the Harpies. My mum understood. She took two years off after I was born."

"Being a musician and a Quidditch player are two very different things but kudos to your father for being progressive," said Ginny. By then Albus had returned with the tin. "Ah, finally I get to try these sweets everyone's been raving about. We'll have these for dessert tonight."

In the study, Harry was pouring over his notes on the investigation. The case was a baffling mystery. There were two people of interest that no one has heard of in over a year. They seemed to have vanished. There weren't even sightings of them.

Harry wondered if telling Scorpius was a mistake. He did so to gain some compliance from him because Scorpius, as his grandmother had warned could be surprisingly stubborn especially if things weren't at least explained to him. When Harry was Scorpius' age, he easily related to that sentiment, but as a father the need to protect him was nearly overwhelming as with his own children. Harry haunted by the look on Draco's face a fear that overcame him when he knew his wife and son were dying. It was raw desperation. Harry could only think of one other person who had that same expression. That was his mother.

On Harry's desk sat a photograph of his parents. This case had brought not only a feeling a déjà vu, but it had reopened wounds that he thought were long healed over. Harry left the office to find the boys playing a round of wizards' chess. Lily sat on the nearby armchair, watching the game. The odd thing was that Albus was calmly reclined on the sofa, where as Scorpius sat cross legged at the table where the board was. He looked to be concentrating and taking it very seriously, while Albus was rather relaxed as he leisurely directed his pieces.

"It's over. My king's surrounded," sighed Scorpius. Sure enough, his king was waving a little white flag.

"Don't worry about it," said Harry. "Their uncle beats me all the time. I can count the number of times I've won without help on two hands. That's over three decades."

Scorpius leaned back. He was still bothered by something. He bit his lip rather nervously. Albus craned his head to see his father. "Have you settled in, Scorpius?" went on Harry. He had it on good authority that Scorpius' found him intimidating.

"Yes, Mr. Potter," responded Scorpius.

Ginny called from the kitchen, "Dinner will be in ten."

The three kids got up. Albus and Scorpius went to the kitchen. Lily went upstairs to wash up, and Harry followed her. Scorpius offered as soon as he entered, "Is there anything you need done, Mrs. Potter?"

"You're a guest, Scorpius," chided Ginny. "There's no need for you to do anything."

Albus was doing his usual duty of setting up the table. "How many tonight, Mum?" he asked.

"Seven," replied Ginny.

Albus inquired, "Who else other than Scorpius?"

"Teddy."

Scorpius' eyes lit up. "Teddy's coming?"

Ginny nodded, "He wanted to come over and see how you were doing."

Scorpius, feeling too idle, helped Albus set the table. Just as they finished, James came thundering in still in Quidditch gear. "Hey, Mum, what's for dinner?"

"Shepard's pie, biscuits, salad, and whatever is in the tin from Mrs. Malfoy for dessert," said Ginny. "Now go and put your things away properly, James."

James finally took notice of Scorpius. "Oh, _you're _here," he stated.

"Go and take a shower, Captain Obvious," said Albus, wrinkling his nose.

James retorted, "Too bad Al had to come back."

"Enough," cut off Ginny. "Go now, James."

The Gryffindor captain left after picking up his broom as he left. "He still doesn't like me much, does he?" asked Scorpius.

"Who cares?" shrugged Albus.

Scorpius agreed, "I'm used to being disliked and scorned."

Ginny said, "James is just defensive. That's the Weasley in him, I'm afraid." Both she and Harry had a chat with James about Scorpius' visit. He had been told that he was to be at the very least civil towards Scorpius. So far, it hadn't really worked.

On the other hand, Ginny knew that Lily was at least happy to have Scorpius over. Harry remained unaware of his daughter's crush, which didn't surprise Ginny at all. Ginny could see why Lily liked Scorpius. He wasn't just a handsome boy, but rather mature for his age. Upon first glance, some would question Lily's tastes, but upon closer inspection, she was right.

Scorpius, like Harry, seemed unwaare. He was nice and polite to Lily because that was the way he was raised. Also, he was only warmer and more approachable because of Albus. Scorpius was a private person, and like Albus somewhat introverted. Both boys need the other to pull out of their shells more.

"So what did you do at Scorpius' house?" asked Ginny, setting the food onto the table. Without prompting, Scorpius was helping move the food to the table as Albus gave a summary of their activities. Ginny revealed that Bill played backgammon and would probably agree to a game with Scorpius, if he'd like. The boys did their homework for their regular classes, which surprised Ginny because her children had a tendency to procrastinate on their assignments. Apparently, Narcissa Malfoy was just as tough as her own mother was when it came to assignments. It amused Ginny to imagine her bossing around three fourteen year old boys.

Lily and Harry joined them. A knocked at the door indicated that Teddy was there. He was fondly welcomed just as James came fresh and clean. The seating arrangement at the large circular table from clockwise went like this: Harry, James, Albus, Teddy, Scorpius, Lily, and Ginny.

Teddy had tried to forget the discussion he had had with Victoire after Lily's birthday, but that was kind of hard to with Lily and Scorpius sitting there. He hoped for a sign that Victoire was wrong. He detected the faint blush across Lily's cheek when Scorpius took a seat next to her. Teddy dismissed it. Then something happened that proved Victoire correct.

While passing the biscuits, Scorpius' hand grazed Lily's. The sudden contact caused her to react by inadvertently dumping the basket of hot biscuits on Scorpius' lap. "Ah!" he exclaimed.

James and Albus started laughing as Lily turned bright red. Her eyes immediately started to tear up. She ducked under the table as Scorpius placed the biscuits that had landed on his lap onto his plate. "Lily, get up from under the table," ordered her mother. Her mother joined her as her father looked on with a bewildered expression. James and Albus were beside themselves with laughter.

Ginny seeing how very upset her daughter was, soothingly said, "Lil, it's all right. It was an accident. Just apologize and move on." Lily shook her head vehemently. Ginny gave her an encouraging smile. "Just laugh it off."

Scorpius offered to Teddy, "Biscuit? They're pretty good."

"Thanks," said Teddy as he accepted it.

"Knock it off, you two," Harry admonished his sons.

Lily and Ginny came from under the table. Lily said, "I'm sorry."

"It was just an accident, right?" asked Scorpius. Lily nodded. "Then no big deal. No point in apologizing for it."

Ginny said, "There's no need for you to eat all those biscuits on his plate. He had a half eaten one in his hand. "These are delicious."

The rest of the dinner went on as usual, but Teddy found Lily being quiet disturbing. Normally, she would be chattering away and giving her strong opinion about anything. Instead, she was quiet and reserve. That seemed so wrong. Scorpius didn't really notice her that way. However, Teddy found out that Scorpius had his broomstick with him. Teddy moaned, "I'm family and I haven't had a go. You didn't even tell me, you brat."

"No one's called me a brat since my dad died," smiled Scorpius. "I consider it a term of affection."

Teddy pouted with lips that were transformed to match Scorpius' lips. "Pretty please?"

"Gah!" exclaimed Scorpius. "Have a go and stop doing that. It's creepy."

"Who goes first?" asked James. Albus had agreed to let James have a go.

Scorpius shrugged, "Flip a coin. I don't care. Any damage done will be repaired by the makers."

"Anybody got a coin?" asked Teddy.

Ginny had to object, "Please not at the dinner table."

Scoprius had dug into his jean pocket and produced a Galleon, but upon hearing Ginny he put it away. "Unless, you and Lily want a go, Mrs. Potter," he said. "Ladies first and all."

"I didn't even think of that, Scorpius," said Ginny brightly.

"You can sort it out after dessert," said Harry. "Scorpius, you and I will have a talk."

Scorpius nodded, "Yes, Mr. Potter."

Only the adults knew the other reason for the visit, so the Potter children's interests were piqued, so after dessert everyone split up to two places. Scoprius hadn't had a chance to look around the office. It was a blend of Professor Longbottom's and Headmistress McGonagall's offices. There were volumes of DADA books lining the shelves and an odd globe that showed the weather patterns all over the world in the corner. There was a large tapestry that hung on the wall opposite from the bookshelves. It was a world map much like the one in Scorpius' dad's office. The large mahogany desk seemed to dominate the room. It had two chairs in the front of it and a swivel chair behind it. In front of the fireplace was a pair of comfortable looking armchairs with high supportive backs and beneath them was an intricately designed rug. On the other side, in front of the tapestry was a long sofa with two potted plants flanking it on either side.

"Have a seat, Scorpius," said Harry, gesturing at one end of the chairs near the fireplace.

"Mr. Potter," started Scorpius as he took a seat and so did Harry in the other chair. "I wanted to apologize for before."

Harry was confused, "Apologize for what?" he asked.

"For how I behaved back in January in the Headmistress' office. I didn't mean to blow up on you like that. I was atrocious. I'm sorry, Mr. Potter." Scorpius' anxious grey eyes met Harry's. He swallowed, "I was upset, but that was no excuse to take it out on you. I'm very sorry."

It took a moment for Harry to recover. "That's nothing to apologize for," he told Scorpius. "You had every right to be angry and upset. Is that what's been bothering you about coming here?"

Scorpius nodded. "And the Occulmency," he admitted.

Harry could clearly see that Scorpius was a lot harder on himself than he was on anyone else. He seemed a bit lost to Harry at the moment, trying to make sense of things. "It won't be easy, but I think you'll get Occlumency sooner than I did. I was a bit older than you when I first started, and even older when I got it," he revealed. "Professor Longbottom said you've caught up quite well."

Scorpius said, "I still can't cast a Patronus. It's just silver vapor."

Harry said, "I'm going to give you some advice about that. It's happiness that the Dementors drive away, but it is the thing that weakens them. A memory is usually the easiest thing for people to conjure up in their minds when they're first starting out, because feeling is associated with that." He paused to see if he was making any sense at all. "Eventually, that feeling should be easier to access. If you can't remember something happy enough, then there has to be something else for you outside of your mind."

"Something outside my mind?"

Harry gave him a pointed look. An answer that was so obvious. "When you play the violin, your grandmother said that you're happy. Ron said that when you played the piano at your aunt, uncle, and cousins' funeral, you were at peace. The next time you attempt to cast a patronus, listen to one of your mother's pieces and I think it will make a difference."

Scorpius stared at Harry for a moment. It was an epiphany. He smiled as he saw Harry smile as well. Scorpius said, "You're brilliant, Mr. Potter."

* * *

Author's Note: Harry would have trained more than his share of Aurors and so it's not unbelievable that he'd know something about casting a patronus over Neville. This is the first time that Scorpius. Look out at the next chapter because I'm sure people will enjoy it.

Also this fall, I am headed over to the mentioned "Muggle" London. I'm very excited. I have been to the Atlantic, but never crossed it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	31. Part 31: In the Kitchen

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Thirty-One: In the Kitchen

Scorpius started to feel guilty about not telling things to Albus. He hardly talked about the attack that had left him scarred and an orphan. He couldn't even tell his grandmother exactly what his father had done in the last moments of his life. Professor Longbottom knew because he was the only person that Scorpius could talk to at the time, so did Harry because he saw it in the Pensieve.

Albus hadn't joined the others in the backyard after handing over Scorpius' broom. Instead, he patiently waited at the bottom of the stairs for his father and friend to come out. When they did emerge, they were started to see him sitting there. "Scorpius, you should go outside," instructed Harry, sensing something wrong.

"Yes, Sir," nodded Scorpius.

Harry joined Albus on the step. "Something the matter, son?" he asked.

"Why is it that you know more about my best friend than I do, Dad?"

Harry answered, "Scorpius has been through so many terrible things that talking about it hurts. He doesn't want to burden you with it." Speaking from experience, he added, "He doesn't want you think he's so different from you."

"I don't get it," said Albus stubbornly. "I should talk to Uncle Ron about it. At least, he won't talk to me like I'm stupid!" He got up and trudged upstairs.

Harry stared after him. Albus always knew how to get to him. Scorpius didn't go far. He overheard the exchange. Scorpius quickly went outside, wondering what Harry would do. Sure enough, Harry joined them outside as twilight came. Scorpius excused himself and gathered the chess set in the living room. He took it upstairs with him. Scorpius knocked on the door. "Albus?" he called.

"Come in."

Scorpius came in. "Care for a game?"

"No," said Albus flatly as he looked up from his Quidditch magazine.

"Me neither. I'm tired of losing," said Scorpius. He took a seat on the sleeping cot, pulling his knees up to his chest. "Did I ever tell you that I hate nighttime?"

"Afraid of the dark?"

"No, I'm afraid of what I'll see in my dreams." Albus looked up from his magazine. He could see a haunted expression in Scorpius' eyes. Scorpius went on in a strangled voice, "Sometimes I can hear my mum screaming, and my dad begging him not to kill me. My dad died protecting me. When he was dying, the last spell he ever cast was a protective shield over me." He brought his legs down and pulled up his shirt. "I had a gaping hole where this scar is."

Albus' jaw dropped as his eyes widened in shock. "I had to lay there for almost an hour with my dad's body getting cold next to me," went on Scorpius. "A pair of Muggles found us and called for help. By then, I had lost so much blood. They had to airlift me. My heart gave out. Dr. McKellan, my doctor, used electricity to shock my heart to start again. It took three tries and I was clinically dead for almost a minute." Scorpius could hear an audible gasp from Albus. "They game me a blood transfusion."

"But all those reports on the news never mentioned it," said Albus.

Scorpius said, "Your dad had it covered up. The scar isn't going to go away. It tingles all the time. When I get really upset it burns or throbs."

"That's why you always put your hand on your side."

"You noticed?"

"Yeah."

Scorpius pressed his lips together before tipping his head back in a sigh. "There is another reason why I'm here other than to visit you."

"It has something to do with my dad, doesn't it?"

"Last Christmas, when my aunt, uncle, and cousins were murdered, I saw flashes of it as it happened. Your father has volunteered to teach me Occlumency."

"Why did you tell me now?" asked Albus.

Scorpius replied, "Because you never asked before. I had to tell you so I wouldn't have to explain in case something happens." He paused. "It's not like I don't trust you, Al."

"Did you think I'd call you a freak like the other Slytherins?"

"A little bit."

A well-aimed pillow hit Scorpius' head. "You moron. And you said you trusted me," laughed Albus.

Scorpius chuckled as he threw the pillow back at him. Albus stood up, "I want to see Teddy before he leaves. Come on," he aid. The pair went down and headed for the backyard. It seemed that Lily had gotten her turn on the broom.

"She's a pretty good flyer," observed Scorpius.

"She's had more practice when she didn't have to share," said Albus.

Harry looked at them. Albus was feeling better as Scorpius grinned. Harry thought about Professor Dumbledore remarking that he and Draco might have been friends under different circumstances. Scorpius wasn't his dad. He was his own person.

Lily touched down smoothly. "That was so incredible! It was smooth and not jerky at all. It turns on a sickle, too. It feels like you're the one flying and there's nothing under you at all," she chattered away.

Scorpius blinked, saying, "That's the most I've heard you say."

Her eyes widened as she stepped off. "Here you go. Thanks," she said as she handed it back to him. Lily smiled at him as he took it.

"Did everyone have a chance?" Scorpius asked.

Harry shook his head, "It's all right. I've already flown it at your house."

Teddy left soon after that. He had an early morning at work, being the godson of the Head Auror had done nothing to improve his work schedule. He also reminded Scorpius of their summer weekly obligatory of tea with their grandmothers. "Just because you're here doesn't mean you can skip out on it."

"Fine, fine," agreed Scorpius.

James laughed, "You two have tea with your grandmothers?"

Teddy nodded, "Yes, it was my grandmother's idea. And if I have to go, so does Scorpius." He jerked his thumb at Scorpius for emphasis.

"I hate how they talk about us while we're sitting right in front of them," complained Scorpius.

Teddy agreed with a nod, "Or how they keep going on about when I'll be getting married."

Ginny couldn't resist that opening, so she asked, "When are you and Victoire getting married?"

"I have to go now," announced Teddy very quickly. "I'll see you soon, Score. Don't cause any trouble."

Scorpius flashed his cousin a grin, saying, "Teddy, I'm always good."

"Ha! I don't believe you," retorted Teddy. He said good night to everyone else before apparating home.

Soon night fell over Godric's Hollow and it was time for bed. At first Scorpius fell asleep, but he work up just after midnight, hopelessly unable to go back to sleep. He saw Albus slumbering and was irrationally irritated at him for it. Scorpius quietly got out of bed. He saw the school books were stacked on Albus' dresser. It was _The Monster Book of Monsters_, the required textbook for the Care of Magical Creatures class. Scorpius wasn't even in the elective class, but grabbed it off the stack and left the room after quietly shutting the door behind him.

He went downstairs and took a seat in an armchair next to a reading lamp. He switched it on and ran his finger down the spine of the book. It shivered before it opened. Scorpius began reading the book at the beginning, anything to keep his mind occupied and alert. He was a few chapters into it when he heard someone coming. He was startled when he saw Harry. "Sorry, Sir," he said automatically.

Harry held up his hand. "No need to say that Scorpius. I expected it," he said. "What are you reading?"

Scorpius responded by holding up the book. "I'm not in the class," he said, "so it's new to me."

"What other electives are you taking other than Muggle Studies?"

"Arithmancy and Ancient Runes, Mr. Potter."

"Sounds hard."

"Not really. My parents loved puzzle games and we'd play them. I can tell what the answers are in Arithmancy without the work. It takes too long to do that, so I always get marks off because I just write down the answers."

"What about Ancient Runes?"

"Easy."

Harry raised an eyebrow at him. "Hermione Weasley took the class it took hours of translation and then interpretation."

"I use what I know from music as a way to translate and memorize the Runes. When I see them, I can read them as easily as I can read a sheet of music. It was one of my mum's favorite subjects."

Harry asked, "She wasn't in Slytherin, was she?"

"No, she was a Ravenclaw. She was witty, smart, and clever all rolled up as my dad said. He always said she was smarter than him. I was I was half as brilliant as she was in Charms. She was one of Professor Flitwick's favorite students."

"Albus said you were pretty apt with Charms."

Scorpius shrugged. He confirmed something that Harry had suspected of Draco: he took easy classes on purpose to bolster his grades. Draco was cunning. Harry made the mistake of underestimating Draco's abilities. They were equals, which Harry only beginning to realize. "Do try and get some sleep Scorpius. We have a busy morning in a few hours," he told him.

Scorpius said, "I'll try, Sir." Hary left without pressing the issue. Scorpius continued to read. Another person had come downstairs. He heard a squeak. Lowering the book, he saw Lily.

Lily totally hadn't expected to see Scorpius. She was dressed in a tank top and shorts. "I-I just came down for water," she told him.

"It's your house."

She was aware of how underdressed she was and she wasn't used to having company other than family overnight. "Do you want some water?"

Scorpius thought about it. "Actually, yeah, please," he replied as he got to his feet. He certainly didn't expect her to serve him. He padded into the kitchen after her, feeling the cool tile under his bare feet. He was wearing a light t-shirt and a pair of long shorts.

Lily was barefoot as well. She noticed the expression on his face. "I like the tiles under my feet during the summer," she told him. "They cool you all the way up."

Scorpius nodded. The kitchen was bathed in moonlight. Lily didn't even bother with turning on the lights. She took two glasses out and went to get the pitcher of cool water. She poured water for both of them. She was grateful that the moonlight concealed her blush.

The moonlight did something else. Scorpius drank his water as he looked out the window. He looked breathtaking like he was born out of it. His pale skin seemed to mirror the moonbeams. Lily thought if she blinked, it would carry him away. His lips glistened from the water as his grey eyes looked out into the distance. "You don't like me very much, do you?" he asked suddenly.

"What?"

Scorpius looked at her. "You don't like that I'm here like James."

Lily gaped at him with her mouth open. "That's not true!" she exclaimed hotly. She practically slammed the water glass on the table. "Why would you think that?"

"You barely looked me in the eye, Potter. You hardly say a word around me. And today has been the most you've ever said in front of me. You dumped an entire bread basket on me during dinner. And you seem to enjoy getting in my way."

Scorpius was standing right in front of Lily. He was so very close to her. She was standing his way. He had leaned in on her so that they were even, mere inches from each other. There was something taunting in his eyes. She found it irritating. She almost wanted to slap him.

It was at that moment that Lily realized how pathetic it was that she was on a one-sided crush. All the blushing, stammering, and near tears made her look weak. No boy worthy of her should find that attractive. Lily decided it was now or never. She closed her eyes and pressed her lips against Scorpius'

Lily pulled away from Scorpius just as quickly as she came. The kiss was fleetingly. Scorpius was caught completely by surprise. It was like being hit by the Stupefying Hex and Cheering Charm at the same time. She left him utterly speechless. It took several moments before Scorpius could get his bearings. He pressed his lips together. They tasted like a bit like strawberries. He put the glass into the kitchen sink after smelling the one that Lily had used. Strawberries. He went back to Albus' room in a puzzled, dream like haze.

Lily listened from her door as soon as she heard Albus' door close. Her heart was still pounding. She couldn't believe she had just done that. Gingerly she touched her lips. It was better than she could have ever imagined.

* * *

Author's Note: A very short chapter this time around, but I figured having it all in one was good. I decided not to include anything more about the investigation in this chapter so as to not ruin the moment.

Also, I'm off to Vegas for the holiday. This is a Labor Day present for you folks.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	32. Part 32: Night Terrors

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Thirty-Two: Night Terrors

By morning, Scorpius was up at the right time. He wondered if it was all some kind of dream. He sat up as he remembered what was going to happen with his Occlumency lesson. He got out of bed with his stomach twisted into knots. Scorpius had an inkling that Harry wasn't going to like it. He didn't even wonder what possessed her to kiss him. He was going to have to sort himself out before facing Harry.

Taking a few calming breaths, Scorpius left Albus' room. He didn't even want to look at Lily's door as he went to the stairs. Scorpius could hear noise from the kitchen. Talk about returning to the scene of the crime. He entered to find Harry making breakfast. "Morning Scorpius."

"Good morning, Mr. Potter."

"Well, have a seat. I figured we should have breakfast first."

Scorpius nodded as Harry washed the glass that had been left in the sink. He sort of stiffened up as Harry set them on the drying rack. "You seem a bit jump this morning, Scorpius."

"I'm all right, Mr. Potter."

Harry set a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast in front of him. "Eat up. We've got a long morning ahead of us."

Scorpius had observed that the most famous wizard of the modern age didn't use his wand for every little thing. Harry was raised by Muggles and as such did things like cooking, even cleaning up, the Muggle because it was second nature to him. "My dad never made breakfast, but sometimes he'd cook lunch or dinner," said Scorpius.

"You mean when he was around. You said he used to do monthly business trips, even when your mother was touring."

Scorpius confirmed, "Yes." He thought of something. "Sometimes, he'd come back like he'd been in a fight, but he wouldn't talk about it and my mum wouldn't let him." Pausing as he thought about it some more, "He and she would fight about it when they didn't think I could hear."

"Parents have their disagreements, Scorpius, even if they love each other."

"My mum once said to him that he had to promise not to bring his work home with him. I think that's why we never talked about it at home. That's why I don't know."

"Do you have reason to believe that his work was the reason why he and your mother were murdered?"

"I wish I could answer that question, Mr. Potter."

"It's all right, Scorpius."

They ate breakfast and went to Harry's office after cleaning up. By then, they were sort of pressed for time, so Harry used his wand to speed up the process. The first lesson was a more in depth explanation of sorts. Harry didn't really start, which Scorpius was grateful for. They ran out of time and Harry had to go to work. He left through the fireplace.

Scorpius went into the living room. He cautiously looked around first. He was trying to avoid Lily. No way was he going to discuss this with anyone in the house or Teddy for that matter. He wished that he had someone to talk, too. He was somewhat irritated at Lily, but at the same time she suddenly got a lot more interesting.

"Hey Malfoy," called James, surprising him.

Scorpius nearly jumped, "What, Potter?" he demanded.

"My mum was asking for you. She doesn't know if you've had breakfast or not."

"Oh, yeah, I already did. I'll go tell her."

They went to the kitchen. Albus and Lily were eating. She was acting like nothing had happened. Scorpius greeted, "Morning everyone."

"Good morning," said Albus and Lily in unison.

"Have you eaten?" asked Ginny. Scorpius nodded. "Oh, good." She looked like she was in a hurry. "Okay, I have to go to work. James, you're in charge. Remember to do your chores, while I'm gone. Scorpius, you need to stay on our property or the wards won't work."

"We will, Mum," sad Albus. He knew why the wards were so important. Ginny kissed him, first, then Lily, and James. She left via the fireplace in her husband's office.

As soon as she was gone, James announced, "Well, that's that. I've go to meet Louis for some Quidditch practice."

"But Mum said we have to stay here," said Albus.

James shook his head, "No, Malfoy has to stay here."

Lily agreed with Albus, so she asked, "What about the chores? Mum said we have to do them."

"Yeah, but she'll be gone for hours, Lil. And I'll be back in plenty of time. Just babysit Malfoy until I get back."

Lily had her hands on her hips. Albus' lips were set in a firm line. James had a rebellion on his hands. Before the Potters could descend into anarchy, Scorpius interrupted, "I'm sorry, Al." His best friend gave him a confused look. "That I can't leave the property. That doesn't mean you have to be stuck here, too." He refused to look Lily in the eye.

"That's not the point, Scorpius, I don't mind staying here," said Albus. He rounded on his brother, "What bothers me is that within a minute of Mum leaving, you're going to shirk your chores, James. Who do you think will pick up the slack? Me and Lily."

"And me," offered Scorpius. "I'll help out. It would seem silly for me to sit around and do nothing." He was glad that Albus was staying because he was the buffer between him and Lily.

"There you go," said James. "I'll be back."

Albus glared at Scorpius as James went to his room to get his gear. "So what do we have to do?"

"We start at the garden," said Albus with a sigh. "We need to finish before it gets too hot."

Scorpius nodded. Lily's chores were indoors. She still felt nervous around Scorpius, but she was enjoying watching him squirm. Perhaps if she had known the real purpose of his visit, she wouldn't have kissed him.

The Potters had a large vegetable garden and some flowers on their property. Scorpius knew how to weed a garden, having spent time in his mother's flower garden at home. It would seem though that only lily around there was the person, not flowers. It all seemed rather foreign to him. He didn't wonder why she had done it because he wasn't that stupid. He shook his head as he worked.

Scorpius wasn't sure what to make of Lily Potter. His opinion of her had changed completely in a matter of hours. Up until a couple of hours ago, Scorpius was concerned about things. These things had consumed almost every waking moment of his life for the last, almost two years. Scorpius hadn't had time to think about girls. What's more Lily was two years younger than him. The girl must be out of her mind to like him. He was the son of her father's school rival and her mother's family, at least their grandfathers, had been feuding for years. There was the matter of her being his best friend's sister.

Wisely, Scorpius kept her mouth shut around Albus. Though Albus was the most rational, this was a recent conclusion of Scorpius, of the Potter children. Scorpius couldn't predict Albus' reaction. Nor did he want to. He didn't know how he felt about the whole thing.

Scorpius knew how he felt about the kiss. He rather liked it. He begrudgingly admitted that. The only complaint he had was that it was too short. He turned a bit pink at the thought of it.

Albus, observing this, said, "I think we've been outside too long. You look sunburned."

Scorpius knew his skin well enough to know that it wasn't sunburned yet. Maybe a sunburn would helped. "I'm fine."

"I'll get us some water."

Lily was dusting the living room and was about to move to the laundry. It had already been done and folded. She had to make sure that it was distributed to the right rooms. Albus came in and grabbed two glasses. He poured some water. He drank some and refilled the glasses. "It's getting ghastly outside," he told her.

"Is Scorpius all right?" she asked.

"I think he's sunburned," replied Albus. "If we had waited for James, it would have been worse."

"Then, you'd better finish up."

"We should be done, and then we'll break for lunch."

"Okay."

Lily went back to work. She put the clothes in the right rooms, went to the medicine chest, and returned just as Albus and Scorpius came in. "Mum, left us sandwiches and cucumber salad," said Lily.

Scorpius was parched and helped himself to more water. Lily tapped his shoulder which almost made him choke and drop the glass. "Something for the sunburn," she offered.

"Thanks," he croaked.

"You have a bit of dirt on your check by the way," she informed him. "On your right."

Scorpius brushed his hand against his cheek. It was a bit of dried dirt until forgetting that his hand was wet from the water on the glass mixed with it. Lily giggled, "You've just mad it worse." She tossed him a towel.

Scorpius cleaned up and took a look the potion that Lily brought. It was the same stuff his mother kept stock of. She knew that his father and he would never tan, only burn. Scorpius opened it and poured some of the potion into his hand. He rubbed his hands together, applying first to the back of his neck. He ended up applying it to his face and arms.

Lily offered, "Do you want some orange juice?"

Albus chimed in, "Don't do it, mate. That stuff is horrid. It's sour. Only Dad and Lily like that stuff."

"Actually, it's a good source of Vitamin C and B," said Scorpoius. "My dad said it's an acquired taste for wizards. I've seen you eat oranges, Al."

Albus rolled his eyes, retorting, "Well that just took a cool point off your dad, if he liked it."

"What about yours?"

"He's my dad. He's not cool."

Scorpius shook his head. "Please," he said to Lily as he held up his glass to her. She poured him some. "Thanks."

They had lunch as Albus asked about the Occlumency lesson. Scorpius talked about it as Lily listened. She had gone back to silent mode. Scorpius didn't go into any sort of detail. Albus and Scorpius were talking in some kind of shorthand. They were unaware that they were even doing it. Lily noticed that Scorpius had sat on another side of the table. He could face her, but he wasn't next to her. He wouldn't look her in the eye, but he was watching her as if trying to figure her out.

Lily always thought that her cousins and other girls were prettier than her. She felt grubby and small around them. She was starting to blossom. She had to fill out more in certain areas, but there would come a time when she'd attract more attention from boys. Not that she would care. The only boy whose attention she desired, she captured with just one kiss. She predicted that he would dismiss it as just a crush. He wasn't saying anything to anyone about it. What if he didn't like her at all? Or worst, he thought about her as a little sister as well.

After lunch, they finished up some of her chores. They specifically left James to do his chores. Scorpius pitched in with all of Albus' and anything that he and James were supposed to do together. All three were lounging in the living room by the time James came back. Lily was partial reclined on the love seat, while Albus was sprawled out on the sofa. Scorpius was relaxing on the recliner. They barely acknowledged James when he walked in. "Don't tell me you spent all day like this?" he demanded.

Scorpius, who earlier was willing to let James get away with it, pulled the lever on the recliner and bolted upright. "For your information, Potter, we've only been doing this for the last twenty minutes. While you went off playing Quidditch, Potter, we've been working. Just shut it," snapped Scorpius coldly.

James seethed, "You can't talk to me like that in my home."

"The way you treat it, means you deserve me talking to you any bloody way I like. Now sod off and leave us alone," retorted Scorpius.

"Lay off him!" exclaimed Albus as he sat up. "We're telling Mum that you took off."

"Even if Scorpius wasn't here, you still would have left," said Lily.

James glanced at their angry faces. He turned and went upstairs. The three settled back into their resting positions. "Sorry," muttered Scorpius.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're too polite, Scorpius?" asked Albus.

Scorpius replied, "You'd be the first."

Albus grinned a bit. "That's the rudest I've ever seen you."

Scorpius pulled on the recliner and leaned back. A couple of minutes later James swept back in a panic, he asked, "Did you empty out all of the bins?"

"No," replied Albus, "because that's your job. Oh yeah, we didn't do _your _chores for you. Scorpius helped me out of the ones we're supposed to do together."

As the eldest, James' chores were more than Albus'. For the next hour, James scrambled to get all his chores done as his siblings and houseguest rested. Normally either Albus or Lily would have done part of his work. Neither was in the mood to do so. James blamed Scorpius' presence on his siblings' less than indulgent moods. He began to resent Scorpius even more. Luckily, he had finished just as his mother returned.

Ginny was thrilled to return to a spotless house. The air was tense. James couldn't say anything against Scorpius because they would tell on him for taking most of the day to play. Scorpius didn't tell Albus not to say anything, and he was avoiding talking to Lily. He left that to them to decide what they would do. He was an only child and didn't have a complete grasp of sibling dynamics. It seemed very complicated to him.

There was some relief that came with those complications. Girls and siblings. They were commonplace and it felt wonderful to have to deal with those instead of the other concerns that plagued Scorpius. He wasn't sure if he wanted to deal with Lily. He was confused about her.

Lily was a ray of light that flashed in front of him. Scorpius partly didn't want to look at her, yet he was forced to. Alarmingly, Scorpius also realized that there were other girls that looked at him the same way. On some level, Scorpius had to begrudgingly admit that he had paid probably very little attention to his surroundings. He didn't care if people disliked him. He knew how to deal with that. Before when people were nice to him, it was only to be mean later. Then, Scorpius lost his parents and other family members, so he had to cut himself off even more. Albus and Scorpius became friends in a process that took months.

Ginny noticed that something had changed in Lily since yesterday. She had no clue in what had transpired in the kitchen the during the early morning hours. Scorpius was jumpy to say the least. Ginny had her ideas of what had happened, but it was great to see her daughter acting like herself. Scorpius would get a chance to really see her.

Ginny noticed that Scorpius looked more tired than Albus. She knew that he wasn't sleeping. When Harry broached on the subject of Scorpius visiting, Ginny could tell that he was worried about him. Harry never mentioned the day that Scorpius blew up at him. Harry had put more pressure on himself to capture the murderer.

Harry came home and they had dinner. After work, they ended up playing some games before the day came to a gradually close and everyone got ready for bed. Scorpius didn't mind getting ready for Scorpius didn't mind getting ready slowly. He was exhausted. It felt like one of the longest days of his life. He hadn't figure anything out, but decided on no more late night jaunts to the living room in case he ran into Lily alone again. So he went to sleep relatively easy.

Then, at eleven, Scorpius' scar began to burn. It wasn't mere flashes of disjointed images. Scorpius was seeing everything through the eyes of the killer.

***

His back was to him as he kept his wand trained on him. There was a maze of warehouses with a large Ferris wheel lording over them not too far away. It was dark, but the light reflected from the stillness of the water. "What the Devil is going on?" demanded the man with his back to him in a trembling voice. "What are you going to do to me?"

No answer.

Another man appeared, one who looked familiar to Scorpius. His eyes widened with horror. "You? What are you doing?" he gasped.

Scorpius wretched in agony as the wand barely moved in his vision. The man in front of him crumpled to the ground. The sound of his voice was strained, "Tony—" He was cut off Scorpius' scar seemed to exponential burn and he could hear him choking on his own blood.

"No!" screamed Anthony Montague as he ran to the fallen man. "Darren, Darren! I'm sorry. Why? Why are you doing this to us?! We're your friends." Futilely, he tried to stop the bleeding but it was too much. The man, Darren, was gurgling and he was not moving or talking. He couldn't talk.

A voice rasped, "Traitors are no friends of mine."

Albus awoke to the sound of Scorpius thrashing about. The sight was alarming. He went to go rouse him, but was met with a shock. "Ow!" he exclaimed as Scorpius' skin glowed with an eerie white light. Albus felt a wave of panic as he ran out of his room just as Scorpius started screaming.

Albus pounded on the door of his parents' room. "DAD! MUM! Something's wrong! It's Scorpius! DAD!" he shouted as the doors of James and Lily swung open.

Harry had leapt out of bed and grabbed his wand and glasses. He yanked the door behind him and sprinted down to Albus' room. Ginny was only a touch slower as she and Albus went back to his room. James sleepy asked, "What's going on? He sounds like he someone is killing him."

"Go back to sleep," ordered Ginny.

She didn't catch the look on Lily's face as she stood in the doorway of her room. She was pale as she gripped the doorway. Ginny turned and barely caught a glimpse of her before shutting the door. "Dad, don't touch him," warned Albus.

"I've got to wake him up. I've got to walk him up. I've got to break the connection," whispered Harry as he drew out of his wand. "_Rennervate!_"

Scorpius' eyes were open and he was bathed in sweat and tears. He was still twitching. His eyes were unfocused as he labored to breathe. Harry reached out without hesitation to turn Scorpius' head to face him. "It's all right," he said gently. "You're all right."

"He's dead. They're dead," Scorpius started to whisper.

"Shh," hushed Harry.

Albus' face had drained of all color and he was speechless. Harry helped Scorpius up. He glanced at his son only briefly before saying, "We need to talk. Try and get some sleep, Albus." He turned to his wife, "Ginny, I need you with me."

Together Harry and Ginny guided Scorpius out of the room and downstairs, and finally into Harry's office. Scorpius made a beeline for the long sofa. Ginny excused herself to make some tea as Harry used his wand to move the chairs and get the recording device ready. Scorpius was still languishing about. He had curled into a fetal position with his right hand against his side over his scar.

Harry reached out and placed his hand over Scorpius' left hand. His skin was cold and clammy. Neither of them said a word as Ginny returned with a pot of tea, the tea seat, and a bottle of sleeping draught. Harry moved a nearby small table, which she set the tray on. "Some chamomile tea," she said as she poured some of Scoprius.

Scorpius sat up. He felt suddenly hot with embarrassment. These were best friend's parents and yet they were up in the middle of night looking after him. He accepted the cup of tea and swallowed half of it in one gulp. He had to force the lump in his throat down. He felt like throwing up. His forehead was beaded with sweat. He just felt damp.

Harry allowed Scorpius to get his bearings. Ginny's maternal instincts were in hyper drive. It was all well and good that her husband kept a professional detachment, but she certainly wasn't. She didn't take the chair that was next to her husband rather she took the one next to Scorpius. "What did you see?"

* * *

Author's Note: As always with this story, good things happen but bad things soon follow as it goes in life. Things have been very busy of late. I have a lot of work to do and I am still planning my trip to London next month. It's exactly a month away at this point. There's a lot of details that I must go through (i.e., how to pack a week's worth of stuff in 13 lbs and how to get pass Heathrow's security with only one bag).

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	33. Part 33: The Bankside

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Thirty-Three: The Bankside

Scorpius drew a deep breath. He knew he'd have to talk in order to get as much detail as possible. Scorpius gave his account in an almost mechanical tone. Harry listened with little expression as Ginny gasped. Scorpius cradled his head in his hand, supporting his arm on top of his knee. Ginny kept him steady offering more tea as he talked. When he was done, he looked even worse. "I'm going to be sick." He made a dash for one of the nearby plants and vomited.

Humiliation on top of humiliation as the acid burned his mouth. Ginny used her wand to pour water into a teacup and gave it to Scorpius. "That's enough now," she said, she was looking at Harry. "You need to sleep."

"What's the point, Mrs. Potter? The dreams come, even if I don't want them to," whispered Scorpius.

Ginny poured the Dreamless Draught into the teacup. "Drink this. It should help."

Scorpius was too tired argue as he downed the potion. He felt its effects immediately as his body felt heavy. Harry hoisted him up to the sofa properly. Ginny went to get a pillow and a blanket as Harry settled Scorpius. Ginny returned and slipped the pillow under his head and Harry draped the blanket over him. His eyes flickered a bit. Ginny could tell he was furious.

Being Harry Potter's wife wasn't easy. First off, there were many women who were jealous of Ginny, but they had backed off after all the years that had come and gone. There were times when he was intense and brooding. For a time, Harry was neither, but the brutal murders of the Malfoy, probably Scorpius' survival, afterwards, made him so intense again. Harry had given up his office for Scorpius to sleep in. The reason why Harry had an office was so he could have a sanctuary to gather his thoughts in.

Ginny said, "Don't go blaming yourself, Harry." She knew what he was thinking.

"He's supposed to be safe here," said Harry gruffly.

Ginny gently rubbed Harry's arm. "You aren't the one who is doing this to him. It's that monster who's doing it."

Harry jerked away from her. He began pacing. "Another two people have been murdered merely an hour ago. Their bodies were thrown into the Thames like they were garbage." His voice shook with outrage. "It might have been Montague, but he was still a human being. And Scorpius." He shook his head as he ran his thumb over his scar, the famous one.

Ginny sat down on the recliner. She was the only other person who knew what it was like to be forced to do and see things she had no control over. "Then we have to do something about it," said Ginny in a firm, yet soft tone. "Harry, you've been keeping your distance from him, treating him with kids gloves."

"I never thought I'd be in this position. It's like a cross between Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape. He's my enemy's son, yet I care too much."

"He's not his father; even his father wasn't the boy we knew in school when he died."

"No, he's not his father."

"I have to go in now."

"Right now?"

"Yes, this is the first time that we've got a relatively fresh crime scene to work with and I'll assign this one to Teddy. We need to get to the crime scene before the Muggles do."

"What about Scorpius?"

"I'm taking some time off. We need to work on the Occlumency now."

"He'll be out for at least twelve hours."

"Good. It gives me time to set things up."

"I'll stay here and keep an eye on him."

Over the next few hours, the Aurors had to locate the bodies and pull them from the Thames. The scene, which Scorpius was able to give enough detail on, was located and searched. Ron had arrived as well as Teddy. Harry surveyed the scene with grim satisfaction that Scorpius was correct.

Teddy asked, "Where did the tip from?"

"My house," replied Harry.

Teddy gave his godfather a quizzical look. Then his eyes widened as one word left his lips, "Scorpius."

Harry gave a tight nod. Ron's jaw clenched as he walked over to the bodies. He wasn't looking at the victims specifically. "Their wands are missing just like with Bulstrodes and the Warringtons," he grimly observed.

"But there are four sets of footprints," said Harry. "One of them was wearing heels." He noticed how the dirty was practically stamped. Whoever stood there, stood there for a long time. The dirt was caked with blood. The bodies had been pulled from the water. Montague had died with his eyes open.

Teddy voiced what wasn't being said, "Two murderers. There were two. One takes the wands as trophies, while the other leaves them, but why?"

"Scorpius couldn't see who was standing right there because the killer never looked at that person. Nor did he hear the person react," said Harry. He knew that he had cut off Scorpius' connection to the killer before he could see anymore. Perhaps if he had let it continue, Scorpius might have seen more, but Harry simply couldn't let him.

"Have you told my aunt?"

Harry shook his head, dreading Narcissa Malfoy's reaction. "Scorpius is resting. He'll be out of it for hours. Ginny's looking after him."

Ron swore, "Bloody Hell. Hasn't he been through enough already?"

"Ron, I need to take some time off. If you don't mind, you'll be in charge while I'm gone."

Ron nodded as he said, "You should go home and get some sleep, Harry. I'll take care of things here."

Harry nodded in agreement, then apparated home.

***

Scorpius awoke to unfamiliar settings. His body felt like lead and his mouth was dry and chalky. There wasn't a sound. He lay there for several moments before he had the will to sit up. He wondered what time it was. The last time he had been out for a long time was just after his parents' murders, when he was recuperating in the Muggle hospital. He tentatively got up, wondering if his legs worked.

Scorpius stood up, stretching his muscles to get the blood flowing. He stretched out his back until it ached. He sat back down on the sofa. Partly he contemplated if Mr. Potter would let him to hide out in the office for the rest of his life, and how he was going to face them. More pressing concerns of the common variety mobilized him to get off the sofa. Scorpius reeked of sweat. He folded up the sheet and set it on top of the pillow. His tongue felt fat. He swallowed a couple of times to moisten his mouth.

Scorpius left the office as stealthy as possible, first peering around the door before leaving. A quick glance at the clock in the living room told him that it was just after noon. Taking the stairs, leaping two steps at a time, Scorpius slipped into Albus' room and gathered his toiletry kit and some clothes. Unfortunately, the bathroom was occupied.

Scorpius decided that out of all of the Potters, the only one he could take at the moment was James. At least he wouldn't look at him the way Albus would. When the door opened, it nearly hit Scorpius in the face. Lily looked up at him.

Scorpius hadn't expected her. He suddenly felt rather aware that he reeked of much more than sweat. The faint aftertaste of his vomit hung in his mouth. Lily bit her lip as she shyly looked at him. "Lunch is just starting," she told him. "Do you want me to tell them you're up?"

"No," he managed, smelling her shampoo. It smelled a bit like peppermint and something else.

Lily nodded, "All right then." She looked as if she wanted to do or say something more, but she bypassed him and went on her way after giving one backward glance before disappearing downstairs with her hands clasped behind her back, her red hair bouncing in its ponytail along the way.

Scorpius went into the shower. He turned on the water and waited for it to warm up before stripping off down and climbing in. He took a long, hot shower as if trying to clean off what he had seen. The water came over the scar. Scorpius looked at it. The hot water seared it. He leaned his head against the shower wall. Then, he switched the water to cold for about five minutes before finishing.

He dried off and put on some clothes just a grey t-shirt and a pair of jeans. He put on some socks and his trainers before leaving. He took a glance at the mirror, wiping off the condensation from the glass, he saw he that he looked okay except for the dark circles under his eyes. He left to drop off his things in Albus' room before coming downstairs.

Scorpius could hear the Potters in their kitchen. He braced himself for what was going to happen. He stood in front of the kitchen for a moment before opening it. The first one to see him was Harry. He was pressing hot sandwiches together. "Good, you're up," he simply said with some relief.

Scorpius stared at him for a long minute before saying, "I thought you'd be at work, Mr. Potter." He dug his hands into his pockets.

Harry said, "One of the perks of being the boss is having some flexible hours."

Ginny cut in as James and Albus stared at Scorpius, "You should have something to drink." She gave him a glass of iced tea. "Drink it all." That was a direct order, so Scorpius complied and drank it all. He was really thirsty. Ginny refilled his glass. "Have a seat. You've already missed breakfast." She didn't mention that he threw up last night's dinner.

"Thank you, Mrs. Potter," said Scorpius as he took a seat.

James, Albus, and Lily weren't used to having both their parents in the middle of the day in the middle of the week around. After last night, they all knew it had to do with Scorpius. James and Lily were pestering Albus earlier until their mother put a stop to it. Scorpius owed Albus an explanation, but they weren't going to get a chance to talk.

"We'll be visiting with Hermione and the kids this afternoon," said Ginny. She had waited until Scorpius was up before saying this.

Harry finished the sandwiches and placed them on a plate. Ginny grabbed the cucumber salad and the pitcher of iced tea. "Will Mr. Weasley be there?" asked Scorpius, attempting to make conversation.

"No, he's probably at Auror HQ, right, Dad?" interrupted James.

Harry confirmed, "Yes, he is." He set the sandwiches down in front of Lily to start passing them. "Scorpius, you're not going. Rather you and I aren't going."

"Oh."

Albus couldn't hold it in any longer, and demanded, "Why can't he go? Is he in trouble for last night? He can't help it." He sounded defensive.

"Scorpius isn't in trouble," Ginny assured her youngest son. She threw a sidelong glance at her eldest son. "No one is saying he's in trouble."

Lily put in quietly, "Because it might not be safe for him at Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione's. They don't have the same wards that we do." She was correct.

"I don't get it," said James pointedly at Scorpius. "Why do you need so much protection?"

Albus knew the reason. He wasn't about to say it. "Why can't you just shut up for once?" he asked in a very irritated tone.

"I have a right to ask. He woke up screaming bloody murder in the middle of the night for Merlin's sake!"

Ginny ordered in a harsh voice, "Don't swear, James."

"I'm sorry," said Scorpius quietly. He looked paler, even ashen at the mention of "bloody murder." He felt sick again.

"Eat. All of you," instructed Harry firmly, but he was keenly glancing at Scorpius.

Reluctantly, Scorpius ate the pressed sandwich. It was gooey with melted cheese and went well with the crisp, cool cucumber salad. The conversation turned to more pleasant things. Scorpius would have preferred to go the Weasleys. The prospect of being alone with Harry was intimidating to him. He wasn't Professor Longbottom with his seemingly endless patience. He was the Vanquisher of Voldemort, the Boy Who Lived, and Head Auror. Most people would have thrilled at the chance to be one on one with the most famous living wizard, but Scorpius would have rather braved Dementors than be alone with Harry.

Before Scorpius knew it, Albus had departed with his mother and siblings. Harry had brought along something from work. It was the Pensieve. "This is the only break I'm giving you," Harry told him. "You can empty out whatever you don't want me seeing."

Scorpius pulled out the kiss that Lily gave him out first. It was definitely for the best. He pulled out the stuff on Tate and the confrontations with the Slytherins. He couldn't think of much else. After all, Harry had already seen the murders of his parents.

They set to work. The next few hours were grueling to say the least. Harry saw more than he ever thought he'd see of Draco Malfoy. There were various memories of him. Draco was a gentle, yet strict disciplinarian. There were some memories that had traveled to the surface, but Harry was blocked by them.

At the end, they were both tired. They settled into the sofa. Harry gave Scorpius some praise, "You've made some great progress much better than my first time. I didn't even get to really finish that first session."

"I always wondered why my dad always knew when I was lying," said Scorpius. "I just assumed he knew me too well. I didn't know he was using magic on me."

"I don't think he was," said Harry. "If there was one thing your father knew how to do from a very early age, it's how to read people. His father taught him how."

Scorpius grimaced a bit at the mention of his grandfather. Harry saw something else in his eyes though. He was sure he had that look on his face from time to time when he was growing up. Harry always wondered why his aunt, the sister of his mother, had always treated him so coldly. It was out of jealous and anger over perceived abandonment. For Scorpius, it was harder. His grandfather in the past was affectionate and indulgent. Scorpius couldn't help but feel hurt by his grandfather's sudden change.

"Dad said he was a prat in school."

"Yeah, well, one of his talents was finding out what bothered a person the most and rubbing it in."

Scorpius smirked a little bit. His father had a tongue like a viper when he was provoked. "Dad knew a lot about Muggles. We would go to the parks in London together. He liked it better because no one knew who he was. He never had a problem with them."

"Your father did seem to know a lot about them, which is a surprise," said Harry, taking it as an opening.

Scorpius nodded, "He didn't mind them at all. He didn't avoid them either. He talked them like he knew how to talk to them. He knew things about the way they lived. He was comfortable like he belonged." He said this last bit more solemnly. "I forget what it's like to be normal, Mr. Potter. Maybe I never was. Maybe there's no point in trying."

"I wouldn't know what normal was at your age, Scorpius," said Harry. "I wished I was like Ron back then. But listen to me, the weight of the world isn't on your shoulders."

"Then why does it feel like it is?" asked Scorpius. "I keep thinking that if I just held on a bit longer, I could have seen the killer's face. Somehow. If I could just connect with him, I could stop him from killing someone else and destroying other families."

Harry shook his head firmly. "It's not a good idea. It's dangerous," he quickly discouraged Scorpius.

"Why not?" demanded Scorpius. "How can you say that after everything you've done, Mr. Potter? You wouldn't have sat by and done nothing."

"Exactly," said Harry seriously. "Because I thought the same way when I was your age and got my godfather killed. Cause and effect is just a part of life."

"And death."

That ended the conversation right there. It didn't continue because Ginny and the children returned home. There was a bit of awkwardness as Scorpius went to join Albus in his room. Lily bit her lip nervously as she saw her father get up from the sofa. He looked just as tired at Scorpius. "Dad, did he make you mad?" she asked.

Harry blinked more out of surprise than anything. "No, sweetheart, he didn't make me mad," he said calmly. He absentmindedly kissed Lily's forehead as he walked by her. He looked worried, but he smiled for her. His hand lingered against her cheek for a moment.

He went into his office and closed the door. He looked at the case file that he had. It was now a box, not a file. He opened the box and poured over the copy of the will that was forward from Draco's lawyers' offices. It was a very long document because the Malfoys had a lot of property and other assets to itemize.

Harry couldn't believe that he had missed the warehouse that Ron had insisted belonged to Draco Malfoy. It was time to delve deeper. He couldn't go there alone as per the rules he enforced with the Aurors. He threw a pinch of Floo Powder and waited for Ron.

"Ron, are you up to going to the warehouse that Goyle made his deliveries to?" asked Harry.

"Never thought you'd get up to it," replied Ron. "I'll meet you there."

In less than fifteen minutes, Harry and Ron met outside of the warehouse. Harry glanced at Ron who was studying the outside of the warehouse. "You know I was just thinking that there isn't much else about Draco Malfoy that surprises me anymore," he said musingly.

"I wouldn't say that just yet, Ron," said Harry wryly. They marched up to the door. Harry placed his hand on the cold steel handle and turned it. It was dark and instinctively, they reached for their wands and lit up the tips.

"It's bigger on the inside than the outside," observed Ron.

Harry stepped further in as soon as Ron stepped inside the door slammed shut. The warehouse lit up after that. Harry looked around, seeing what looked like a car draped in a tarp and there were shelves in the back and a workstation. There was an upper loft with a spiral staircase leading up to it. A strange, sunken stone tub was in a corner.

"What do we do first?" asked Ron in confusion.

"Try not to touch anything," replied Harry as he walked up to the workstation. There were documents laid out on the table. It was a Muggle passport and other forms of identification with Draco's picture and his name was "Drake Black."

"Harry, come over here!" hollered Ron.

Harry went to him. He saw what Ron was looking at. There were several weapons on the shelves. Not just wizarding ones, but Muggle ones. Guns sat beside knives and portable suns. "I guess we know what Goyle was delivering here," said Harry.

Ron glanced at Harry and saw a familiar look on his face. "What are you thinking, Harry?" he prompted.

"Draco Malfoy was the Inquisitor."

* * *

Author's Note: As always with this story, good things happen but bad things soon follow as it goes in life. I like a good action movie and comic books. Sorry for the delays. I'll try to get as many chapters as I can. I got really behind on this.

Also, for anyone who has published on this site, they know that the stupid system doesn't take html coding, but I keep my files like that from before that time. Which means that sometimes the files don't appear as they should and all the marks get taken off. Sorry about that. Anyway, my laptop ran out of batteries at the last minute and I didn't have a chance to see it. It was really late last night.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	34. Part 34: The Warehouse

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Thirty-Four: The Warehouse

Ron gaped at Harry. He exclaimed, "You can't be serious!" His voice echoed.

Harry went on, "Malfoy was very secretive about his work. He had spent the first few years after the Battle of Hogwarts trying to get a job, but ended up being a gofer for the Obit and Ads section of the Prophet."

"Never got that. Even after the war, the Malfoys were still plenty rich. He could have just lived off the his trust fund. I never could imagine him working."

"You just said he couldn't surprise you anymore."

Ron glared at Harry, who wore a bit of a grin. "Did Goyle ever have packing slips or manifests of what he was couriering here?"

"No, Goyle kept records of the deliveries, but only when he did it. If you ask me that was stupid, especially if they wanted to keep this all a secret."

"I know that it doesn't make any sense," conceded Harry. "Malfoy was a Death Eater. So was his father."

"His father said that the Inquisitor killed him."

"Malfoy had a very separate life from this. He never intended for Scorpius to find out." Harry paused for a moment. He had seen Draco's home office. It looked empty and unused. This was his real office. "He was protecting his family."

"Lucius Malfoy must have known."

"That Malfoy was the Inquisitor? No," replied Ron. "It's too preposterous."

"We need to get a sweeping team in her and catalogue everything," said Harry.

Ron took this moment to remind Harry, "Doesn't this warehouse belong to Scorpius? Shouldn't we tell him?"

Harry nearly swore under his breath. "I'll talk to him. I think we need to get Mrs. Malfoy up to speed, too."

Ron gingerly picked up what looked like a silver bullet on one of the shelves. "What would drive Malfoy to do it? That's what I don't get, too. And how does this tie to the murders?"

"That's what we need to find out. Let's get out of here." Harry almost shuddered. He felt like he had violated a very private place for Draco.

Harry found out that Draco was more mechanically inclined than he thought he would be. He saw how immaculate the workbench was with the tools lined up. There was a record player with one of Astoria's albums still set on it. "Do you remember how Malfoy was able to get that cabinet working in our sixth year? And how he was able to figure out how the coins that Hermione enchanted worked and got them to work for his purposes?"

"The biggest mistake with made was underestimating him." Ron felt uneasy. "How about leaving now?"

Harry nodded and they left.

***

Albus was rather worried about Scorpius. For a good half hour, he didn't say a word, while they were in Albus' room. "I don't think I ever want to sleep again," he muttered softly.

"You sounded like someone was hurting you," said Albus. He was having a hard time hearing him because Scorpius was facing the wall as he laid on his side.

"I'm sorry—"

"Stop apologizing," cut off Albus.

"I do say that a lot, don't I?" asked Scorpius.

"Yes," answered Albus.

Scorpius sat up and faced Albus. "Did your dad ever tell you about before?"

"You mean about the war?"

Scorpius nodded. "My dad didn't. I assumed it was because of he was on the losing side of it. He only did before I started at Hogwarts," he said.

Albus said, "My parents talk about it. And other people around us because they're famous."

"My dad was ashamed. Voldemort had used Malfoy Manor as his headquarters during the last two years. He never talked about what had happened, but he never let me spend the night at the Manor. He didn't like going into some of the rooms either. He stopped living there after it was all over. My mum said that my dad had seen some bad things, but wouldn't talk about it."

"What about you?"

"I saw two people murdered last night. The killer called them traitors. My dad said once that anyone who commits the act of genocide is a traitor to the human race. He said it's even worse when you just sit there and let it happen."

Albus understood, but was fast to disagree, "Scorpius, it's not your fault. Tell me what did you really see?"

"I was the killer in the vision I saw. I was the one doing it. I could see it all from his eyes. When he spoke, it felt like I was the one saying it."

"That's impossible. You were here, thrashing around like mad and screaming like a banshee."

"I couldn't stop it."

"If I just held on bit longer, I might have seen more, Al!"

"The way you were screaming and that weird thing when you shocked me when I tried to touch you, your heart could have given out."

"It's better than just waiting."

"Let my dad do his job, Score."

"I'm tired, Al."

A knock came at the door. "Who is it?" asked Albus.

"Lily."

"What do you want?"

"Mrs. Malfoy is here."

Scorpius reluctantly got up. He got to the door before Albus. He yanked the door open and saw that Lily was standing mere inches from him. As irritated as he was, he couldn't scowl at her. His face softened a bit.

Lily looked up at him. She heard how angry he was just then. "My dad said you have to come down," she informed him.

"Thanks," he said as she stepped out of his way.

Albus wasn't told he had to go donw, but followed Scorpius anyway with Lily alongside him. As soon as Scorpius came to the living room, his grandmother pulled him into a fierce embrace. "How are you?" he asked awkwardly.

Narcissa pulled away from him, nearly laughing, but she said, "How am I? It's you I'm worried about." She placed her hand on his cheek.

Scorpius was reluctant to display any family drama in front of the Potters. Harry, perhaps, sensing Scorpius' awkardness, said, "Let's go into my office." It was then that Scorpius realized Ron's presence.

"Hello, Mr. Weasley."

"Hello, Scorpius."

They went into the office. Harry offered Narcissa a chair and Scorpius sat down in the one next to her. Ron helped himself to one of the chairs nearby. As soon as they were settled in, Harry with some addition from Scorpius explained to latest set of murders.

Narcissa took it surprisingly well. She was cool and collected, but kept her, well manicured hand on top of Scorpius'. She said at the end as she glanced at Scorpius, "Are you really all right?"

Scorpius nodded, "Mr. Potter and Mrs. Potter took care of me."

"Well, thank you, Harry," said Narcissa.

Harry shook his head. "It's really all right." He paused before asking, "Mrs. Malfoy, I was wondering if you or Scorpius have had a chance to go over his inheritance from his aunt and uncle."

Scorpius fielded this question, "No, not really. I try not to think about it."

"Scorpius, there is still the matter of the estate," broached Narcissa gently.

Scorpius visibly stiffened. "I don't want it," he said gently. "Can't it just be left alone?"

"Darling, your aunt's employees and your uncle's business partner have been in limbo for months. People's livelihoods are on the line."

"I'm fourteen years old. You can't expect me to decide on that, Grandmother."

Narcissa had avoided placing added pressure on Scorpius. "In three years time, you will be called upon to assume your father's position at the board of trustees. You can't go in there absolutely green. They will devour you alive."

Harry raised a finger and Narcissa nodded at him to allow him to cut in, "You said you were tired of sitting around and waiting, Scorpius. This is something that needs to be done. You're the only one who can do it."

"Why can't I have regular problems?" sighed Scorpius.

Ron choked back a chuckle. Narcissa answered, "Never mind that. Why are you asking, Harry?"

Harry replied, "Because we need to investigate one of the properties that belonged to your son, Mrs. Malfoy."

"Which one?"

Harry handed the list over and the warehouse address was circled. Narcissa took one look at it and said, "I didn't even know that Draco owned this much property."

Ron glanced at Harry, giving a sharp look. Harry ignored him, so he said, "Goyle made numerous deliveries to that property in the span of nearly twenty years, Mrs. Malfoy."

"You checked it out, didn't you, Mr. Potter?" asked Scorpius, looking straight at Harry. "Why bother asking me if I care that you went there already, especially after the fact?"

"Yes, we did a preliminary sweep this afternoon. We have reason to believe that this location was actually your father's place of business."

"An office?"

"Of sorts."

"Now I see why Al is such a horrible liar, Mr. Potter."

Narcissa sharply chided Scorpius, "Do not speak to Mr. Potter that way." Scorpius only slightly shrank back. "You'll have to forgive him, Harry. His father didn't have much luck taming his tongue either. When he was younger, he succeeded in mortifying his parents on more than one occasion."

"I know," said Harry, "but he's right. There is something else, but it's too soon to jump to any conclusions."

"So what did he do for a living? He wasn't just an investor in property and I know he wasn't a consultant," said Scorpius.

"As I have said, it's too early to be making assumptions, Scorpius."

"Just tell me one thing," pleaded Scorpius.

Harry said, "He was very good at what he did."

"Do we have permission to investigate the warehouse?" asked Ron.

Scorpius looked at his grandmother. "Only if I can be down there while you do it," he replied.

"That's not a good idea, Sweetheart," said Narcissa.

"You might get in the way."

Scorpius shook his head only once. "Then, Mr. Potter can petition my lawyers."

"You're prepared to impede the investigation, if you don't get your way?" asked Narcissa.

Scorpius pointedly ignored her sharp glare. "Yes, if that's the only way to get what I want," he said steadily.

"Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy," breathed Narcissa. "What would your father say?"

"He'd say I'm being an unholy brat," quipped Scorpius.

Ron stood up and whispered something into Harry's ear. Harry whispered something back. The Malfoys witnessed this exchange and Ron went back to his seat."

"How about a compromise?" offered Harry.

"I might be open to it. Depends," shrugged Scorpius.

"Sort out your aunt and uncle's estate and I'll personally escort you through the warehouse."

"Why does this sound like a Weasley idea?" asked Scorpius, but he nodded. "Fine, I'll look at it, but I'll have to get copies from the lawyers."

"That's not necessary," said Ron. "Because there are copies here as part of the case file."

"It wasn't supposed to be mine. Di and Annie should have had it," said Scorpius.

"It will only get harder, Scorpius," said Narcissa as gently as possible.

Scorpius had dodged it for over six months. "How about dividing up the fashion house between the employees? All I want are the original sketches my aunt made. I also want the fashion house to keep the Greengrass name."

Narcissa nodded in agreement. "We can get the lawyers to sign off on it. You will retain the original copyrights."

"I don't really want the money," he said. He swallowed hard. "Mr. Gentry can have the other half of G&G, but Uncle Greg's name will stay."

"I'm sure Mr. Gentry will be willing to accommodate you."

"I want to donate the house. I can't go in there. It's where it happened," whispered Scorpius. "Donate it and the rest to St. Mungo's. Leave my name out of it."

"Are you sure?" asked Ron, knowing how much it was all worth.

"It won't bring my family back to keep it, would it, Mr. Weasley?"

"Do we have permission to search the property?" prompted Harry.

Scorpius gave a tight nod. "I still want to see the warehouse."

"Tomorrow," said Harry. "You need to get some rest."

Scorpius asked his grandmother, "Do you mind if I stay here still? Please?"

"No, darling," said Narcissa. She found it hard to deny him. She asked, "Do you mind, Harry?"

"No, if anything I'd like to keep an eye on him," replied Harry.

Narcissa didn't look released. She looked almost as tired as Scorpius. "I knew something terrible happened when I saw Anthony's name in the papers. I'm a bit rattled. Yesterday, I had another row with Lucius."

Scorpius asked with irritation, "What's he complaining about now?"

"He asked where you were and I told him. Actually at first, his question was whether or not I left you somewhere safe. He went off the deep end when he found out you were here."

"What? He's just picking a fight, Grandmother. He doesn't care about me. Why doesn't he just sign the papers already and be done with it? It's bad enough I've got to walk around with his name attached to mine."

Narcissa drew a sharp breath again. Harry wasn't so sure about Lucius' lack of concern or disdain for his own grandson. "Did you assure him he was safe?" asked Harry.

"Yes," nodded Narcissa. "It didn't reassure Lucius at all."

"I think that Scorpius should have something to eat now and get some rest," interrupted Ron, knowing that Harry had more to say to about Lucius to Narcissa. It was best for Scorpius not to around for it.

"I'm not hungry," protested Scorpius automatically.

"Go Scorpius," ordered Narcissa with an uncompromising tone.

Scorpius immediately stood up and trudged for the door after Ron. As they came out, they heard scrambling and found Ginny, Lily, James, and Albus attempting to look nonchalant. Ron shook his head, but grinned. "Let's get some tea, Scorpius," said Ron.

Ginny got up, objecting, "No, Ron. I'll do it. You'll just mess up my kitchen."

"No, I won't."

"Yes, you will."

"Why do you two sound like Lily and James?" asked Scorpius.

Albus burst out laughing as he got up. James exclaimed, "We don't sound like that!"

Lily laughed as Scorpius and Albus went into the kitchen. Ginny and Ron were right behind him.

* * *

Author's Note: I plan on having one more update before the trip. I must say I get a lot of reviews for the mid-section of this fanfic with complaints of Harry Potter bashing. Please no character is perfect in the original story. He did some pretty stupid and reckless things in the books that involved some deadly consequences that others had to pay for. It is people's loss if they choose to stop reading partway through and not reading it straight through. A chance is all I ask for, not even reviews. To put a review in just to say you're stopping because you don't like it is pretentious. I write for me more than anyone else. I don't bend to what people expect. My expectations for this story are far greater than anyone else's and I am my toughest critic. Thanks to all the reviewers who stuck through.

Also, Scorpius is getting irritating to me and I'm the one writing the story. He's spent far too many chapters just doing nothing to help his own attempted murder. He's been a coward, avoiding rather than confronting directly. Time for him to man up a bit.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	35. Part 35: A Forest

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Thirty-Five: A Forest

Harry ran point on the investigation of Draco's warehouse. High end weaponry was catalogued, and it ran the gambit, from modified guns to retractable wooden stakes. Draco had done all the modifications himself and most of the Aurors processing the scene were astounded. Draco had portable suns that could flare up in the darkest places and potions that were delivered with needles.

Under the tarp was a car. It was a black BMW with compartments built in such way that would allow magical components to work with non-magical parts. There was also a wizarding armor imported from Japan that wore like a cotton shirt, but could withstand most standard curses. On top of that there was a makeshift clinic complete with a healing chamber as well as a training area.

The training area had a wooden pole with wooden arms jutting out, exactly what would be found in a dojo. Different kinds of swords were lined up in a stand. None of them were magical as far as tests could discern.

There was an upper loft with just a sleeping area. It had nothing more than a bed roll and a lamp. Adjacent to the clinic was the bathroom with just a shower and toilet. The bathroom resembled something out of a hospital, or an asylum. Either way, there were just basic toiletries.

There were racks of clothes. A mixture of basic clothes to formal ones, Muggle and wizard, and some stained. The most important thing was a safe that the processors come across.

"It's a crushing safe, Sir," the processor informed Harry.

"So if we get the combination wrong, it will crush whatever Malfoy put in it," said Harry. "That means whatever he put inside is extremely valuable and breakable."

"Malfoy is probably having a good laugh at us," remarked Ron, not for the first time that day as he scowled. "What I don't get is how someone can have all this and still die like that."

Harry explained, "He was with his family. If he wasn't trying to keep his son alive, he would have done more. He probably underestimated the killer."

"He or she had to be in the inner circle to get that close. Harry, all this screams Malfoy was a little bit more interested in security than we first assumed."

"Parkinson is still out there."

"Is Scorpius still coming down here?"

Harry nodded. "He might be able to open this safe. Teddy's bring him over."

"Is it safe for him, Harry?" pressed Ron.

Harry asked, "Why wouldn't it? He's surrounded by Aurors."

"That's not what I meant, Harry," argued Ron. "I'm talking psychological."

"You've been with Hermione too long, Ron."

"I'm serious, Harry. Scorpius has been though a lot already. Some would argue even more than you. Sure, he doesn't have to worry about some grand destiny, but even you didn't almost die the way he did."

"I've coddled him for too long. He can handle this. He wants to know his father."

"The real Draco Malfoy might be too much for his own son to handle," pointed out Ron as he waved at their surroundings. "We should ease him into it."

Harry sighed, "You're right, but we don't have time for that. The killings are getting closer together. I can't let him see another one. I won't. Not when I can do something about it." There was finality in his tone that Ron was quite familiar with.

Ron couldn't say anything else because Teddy and Scorpius walked in together. Harry went into a business like manner when he escorted them around. Scorpius was quiet throughout the whole rundown. He didn't ask what some of the things were, even though he had a puzzled look from time to time. Harry wondered what was going on in the boy's head.

When they came full circle, Harry noticed a visible tightening in Scorpius' jaw. Harry ventured, "This is a lot to take in. You must be confused. You're not the only one."

"What in the world was he doing?" asked Scorpius with frustration hanging off each word. "He was so secretive that you couldn't even tell he was keeping anything."

"There is a safe here. It's a crushing safe. Your father put something inside of it. We're hoping that you might know the combination."

Scorpius muttered, "I didn't know my dad as well as I thought. How would I know the combination?"

Harry insisted, "Just try. Please. We haven't tried because we can't risk damaging what's inside." He guided Scorpius to the safe. "It's a five year old model with a built in safety of six trials. At the seventh fail, the safe will crush whatever is inside." He showed the safe's two dials. "They must be turned at the same time and reach their respective numbers at the same time. Standard unlocking spells won't work and if we attempt to go in any other way the contents will be crushed."

"Lovely," drawled Scorpius sarcastically. "So if I break the box, it will be my fault, not yours? Leave it to Dad to leave behind a puzzle box for me." He leaned in and looked at the dials. Each one only went up to a hundred. "Why couldn't he have just written stuff down like a normal person?"

"Maybe he thought you deserved a bit of a challenged," kidded Harry unable to resist the urge to smile. A scowl from Scorpius wasn't enough to deter him.

Tentatively, Scorpius placed his fingers on both dials. "Let's see. I've got to think like him. What would he use?" he said to himself. "He and Mum were married in June." He turned the dial to his parents' wedding anniversary. The safe didn't open.

"One," counted Harry.

Scorpius sighed. He drew a deep breath. "His birthday," he said as he tried it. Again the safe didn't open.

"Two." This time Harry sounded worried as he started to pace a bit.

"My mum's birthday." Nothing.

Harry said, "Three."

"My birthday," said Scorpius as he turned the dial on the left and right to twelve and twenty-five respectively. "No."

"Four."

Scorpius pulled his hands away from the safe. He closed his eyes as if he was thinking about it. Then, he tried one more time, Harry saw him turn the dials to five and two, Victory Day at the Battle of Hogwarts. The safe opened.

"How did you know?" asked Harry softly.

Scorpius answered, "Because the few times he talked about the war, he said that day his life changed." He peered inside and said, "Memories. There are memories inside."

Harry looked inside. He could see memories in their vapor from in vials with handwritten dates. "Scorpius, your father didn't write down things because he wanted you to see them," he concluded.

"Well that explains the Pensieve we found under the workbench," interrupted Ron.

Scorpius said with an eager spark, "Let's look at them."

Harry shook his head, "We need to review them first."

"He was my dad. Everything in this warehouse is mine."

"It's part of an ongoing investigation, Scorpius."

"Then I can get an injunction from my lawyers and get you lot off my property, Mr. Potter," snapped Scorpius. "I don't need to borrow a Pensieve. I've got one of my own now."

Harry relented and stopped from swearing out loud. "I know I'm going to regret this, but all right." Ron looked ready to raise an objection, but declined. "But we get to pick where to start."

Scorpius nodded, "Works for me."

Harry and Ron took a look inside the safe. "I have a theory about your father's occupation. I want proof it," said Harry musingly. He was searching for a specific date and found it. They went to the Pensieve and set it up. Harry did a special spell that projected the memories in the Pensieve like Muggle film projector. The memory he had selected was about sixteen summers' ago.

Teddy bracingly asked, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes," responded Scorpius firmly. Teddy nodded and they all took seats on chairs that Draco had handy. The memory began to play out on the wall like a movie.

_Draco read the headline again that he had read in the morning. People were talking about the jailbreak of Fenrir Greyback as he re-read the article, someone sat down beside him, offering a steaming mug. She gazed at him. "What's the matter, Draco?" she asked in sultry voice that had a musical edge to it. Her blue eyes were open and warm._

_He put the paper down. "Just thinking," he said._

_"What about?" she asked. "You know we'll be married in two weeks. It would be nice, if we didn't keep secrets from each other, Draco."_

_"Are you sure about this, Astoria?" asked Draco._

_Astoria nodded, "I gave my word. I won't go back on it."_

_Draco smirked a bit. She didn't say anything about love. He couldn't help but look at her. She was beautiful. Her honeyed locks were in a ponytail and her skin was pale. Her lips were full and lush. He didn't deserve her. "This is terrible. I hope they catch him soon," she said, referring to the article with a shudder. "People will have to keep their eyes on their children. The wizards know what he's capable of. What about the Muggles and their children?"_

_Draco, if it were even possible, looked even paler. "He's been on the loose for days. The Ministry may not able to find him before he hurts someone," he said. _

_Astoria, had read further along, with a sigh of relief, said, "Muggles were warned that Greyback's a child predatory, so they'll be careful, too. That's a pretty accurate description of him." Her fingers gripped the mug._

_Draco stood up. He was still lithe and thin, but he had some extra muscle on his body. His eyes were much more mature than his twenty-three years would suggest. He leaned his back against the kitchen counter, his hands gripped the edge. "Greyback liked them young. I remember when I saw him when I was sixteen. He told me not to worry because I was too old for him. He said it was best to start them out early."_

_Astoria's lips formed a thin line. "The Aurors will find him."_

_"Right. Maybe," sighed Draco. "Like I said, Potter can't think like them. He's too much of a saint."_

_"I never understood why you and he can't get along," said Astoria. "You seem to have something in common. You're both rather intense."_

_ "It doesn't matter. What matters is there's a crazy werewolf out there and a full moon coming in a few weeks. Even Potter won't be able to track Greyback down in time," said Draco. He looked down at his shoes. "I don't even know why it bothers me. I didn't care before."_

_"Because you cut yourself off for so long that it's overwhelming you," said Astoria as she got up. "I have to go rehearsal. Try not to brood too much, all right?"_

_Draco nodded. Astoria came up to him and kissed his cheek. She left through the fireplace. He stood alone for a while. He looked at the picture of Greyback. Anyone could see that an idea was forming in his head. He went to the bookshelf and pulled out an atlas. He opened it to the map of England. Draco studied it and then back to the shelf. It was a DADA book. He flip to the index and then went to the page he needed. It was a chapter on werewolves._

_Draco stood up and went upstairs. This was the flat that belonged to his parents in London. It would be about two more years before Manderley. He changed his shirt and went into his trunk, opening a compartment. He dug into it and pulled out some Muggle money. He put on a jacket and inspected his reflection before going out._

_He went out into a less than safe area of the city. Draco had his wand with him, but he looked quite comfortable strolling the darkening streets. He came to his first stop and bought a set of silverware. He talked to the Muggle shopkeeper in a jovial manner, telling him he needed the silverware because he was getting married and his wife would need it. He insisted on the purest set there and even negotiated the price._

_The next place he went to wasn't what anyone would expect. Guns were difficult to come by in Great Britain, not if one knew where to look. In a shop that was hidden away in a part of town that most people wouldn't go to, Draco sauntered to the counter in a very calm, deliberate manner. He asked to see some hunting rifles. He handled them with experience as if he had done it before. "What are you interested in hunting?" asked the gun seller._

_"Wolves," answered Draco without blinking._

_"I thought those were protected," said the keeper._

_Draco asked for the price and paid for it. The memory flashed forward over the next couple of days. In between wedding planning and going on job interviews, Draco was milling away in the cellar. He had taken the gun out to an open field to test fire it and work on his aim, which was rather good. In the cellar, he melted down the silver and fashioned them into pelts. He took apart shotgun bullets very carefully saving the gun powder and keeping the casing intact. He re-assembled them, replacing the pelts with the silver ones, and adding silver shavings to the gun powder. _

_He didn't bother with wizarding newspapers, but listened to the wireless to find out the Aurors progress. Draco ventured into the Muggle world when news came out that a young Muggle girl had gone missing and her parents were suspected within days. He stopped in front of shops that had televisions playing the news about the girl's disappearance to listen to the newsbytes._

_The girl, Anna Martin, lived in a rural community. Draco had read the articles from different newspapers. At one point, he was in a Muggle library going over the reports. Yet the wizards hadn't tied this to Greyback. He began to make his own inquiries without arousing suspicions. The Muggles found him relatable and civil. _

_After the rehearsal dinner, Draco was with his friends. "You should have picked me as your best man, mate," said Clive Warrington._

_"Now why would I do that? You couldn't figure a way out of this mess for me," retorted Draco._

_"I'm just saying that I could have given you a proper send off into matrimony hell," said Clive._

_Draco snorted, "You are the worst lawyer in the world."_

_Clive chuckled and said, "Oh come on, you complain about marrying Astoria Greengrass is like complaining about being too rich. At least you didn't get stuck with Daphne."_

_Anthony Montague asked, "Then why'd you sign the contract?"_

_Clive answered, "Because Astoria wanted to go to WADA, and Draco made a deal to let her go. You obviously care about her, Draco."_

_"And that's why I don't want to get married," said Draco._

_"Look this self-loathing was fine three years go, but you need to get over it," declared Tony before taking a shot of whiskey._

_"So what do you want to do now?" asked Gregory Goyle, the best man._

_"You're not supposed to give him a choice, Goyle," exclaimed Clive. _

_Draco stood up and said to no one in particular, "I have other plans."_

_"What are you going to do?" asked Greg._

_Draco turned and looked at him. "I've got something to take care of. I need some quiet. I may not get it again after I get married."_

_"We'll celebrate in your absence," declared Clive as he raised his glass._

_"You're just looking for an excuse to get drunk," sighed Tony. "I've got rotations early in the morning." He was an apprentice healer at St. Mungo's._

_"Have fun," said Draco before draining his bottle of butterbeer. No one made a move to stop him as he left._

_There was an internal struggle when Draco went back to the flat. He looked out the window and saw the moon was getting fuller. Time was running out. He couldn't sleep. Not that Draco slept much. By dawn, he had made a final decision. He dressed in dark clothes and picked up his gear. He had maps of the woods and was ready to go. Draco had a feeling that Greyback was waiting for the full moon. He wanted to be sure that his victim's transformation would take._

_Draco tracked in the woods for hours until he came to a clearing that was a makeshift campsite. He put on his invisibility cloak and laid in wait. The sun began to set as a figure slowly approached. He placed the firewood into a how he had dug in the ground with his bare hands. His hair was oily and straggly. His eyes were yellow like his nails. He was just bones, and he moved slower than Draco remembered. Draco felt a twinge of fear came up from his gut. He took a deep breath._

_"Who is it?" shouted the figure._

_Draco stepped forward and pulled off his cloak in a single motion. He had his shotgun in his left hand. "Hello Fenrir," he said with composure._

_"Well, well, well. If it isn't Lucius Malfoy's whelp," hissed Greyback. He was so thin that his collar bones were protruding as he bowed he ran his purple tongue over his yellow teeth. "Come to help a family friend? Did your father send you?"_

_"No," replied Draco as he rose the shotgun barrel, aiming for Greyback's chest._

_Greyback started to laugh to the point where he sounded like he was gagging. "Do you know how to handle one of those things?"_

_"Yes," breathed Draco as the mist began to gather a bit, "the point is to keep the barrel on your target. I'll give you a choice, which is more than what I can say about your victims. You can either tell me where Anna Martin is or force me to shoot you. You're life is in your hands." On the last bit, Draco moved his index finger to the trigger._

_Greyback laughed again, "The Dark Lord should have let me kill you before!"_

_"Tell me where she is," ordered Draco._

_"The Hell I will. You won't shoot me. You're a pathetic—"_

_BANG!_

_The shot rang out and Draco lowered the gun. He hadn't shot Greyback in the chest. Greyback howled in agony as Draco stared almost dispassionately. "You'll never hurt anyone again, you bastard," he told him._

_"You think I haven't been shot before?" spat Greyback. "Those Muggles are fools, shooting me and not even realizing that they can't hurt me. You're even stupider than them!"_

_Draco's expression was now his trademark smirk. "They didn't know they had to use silver on you. Tell me, how you are feeling?" he asked with mock concern. Greyback began to react to the silver. He turned pale tan ashen as he collapsed. "You didn't think I would do my homework, also there were silver bits in the gun powder. That's probably going to do more damage than the pellets as it gets into your system."_

_Greyback gasped as his eyes bulged out. Draco walked over to him. "You evil, vile—"ranted Greyback._

_Draco pressed his foot into Greyback's wound. "Takes one to know one. Now, I'm asking you again: where is she?" he demanded._

_"An abandoned barn five miles away from here," muttered Greyback._

_"Directions," demanded Draco, twisted his boot._

_"ARGH!" exploded Greyback. "North!"_

_"She'd better be in good health," said Draco. He started to leave, but used his wand to tie up Greyback, he wasn't capable of much movement and without a wand he wouldn't survive for long._

_"You can't just leave me here!" cried Greyback._

_Draco said, "I'll come back, if what you say is true. You'd better hope that I find her because if I have to come back here without finding her, I'll put a bullet in your other leg." _

_"I won't forget this, Malfoy!" promised Greyback. "I'll tell them, and then you'll be in Azkaban where you belong."_

_Draco passed the shot gun to his right hand and pulled out his wand. "Doubtful," he said as he pointed his wand at Greyback's head. "Obliviate," he said and finished. "No one would believe you anyway. Stupefy."_

_The rest went by in a flash. Draco had found the little girl and after wiping her memory clean, he deposited her at a hospital. He returned to the woods and cleaned up. Then, he sent an anonymous tip to the Ministry. All this and he showed up late at the church._

_"Draco!" shouted his mother. "Where have you been?!"_

_"I was—"_

_"Late on your wedding day. There's no excuse." _

_"Sorry. There were some things I had to take care of and I ran out of time."_

_"Your father is ready to murder you."_

_Draco laughed. He looked utterly relaxed. "I promise I'll be on time for my next wedding, Mother."_

_Narcissa glared at him, "This is the only wedding you'll be having." She straightened the front of his robes._

_"Fine, then. I promise to be on time for my funeral."_

_"Don't say that today of all days. Let's go. It's time for you to get married and grow up." _

* * *

Author's Note: I have been waiting for a while to get this chapter out. As I think I've mentioned I am a fan of action movies. I love the new Batman movies and Iron Man was a favorite last year. I'm more likely to go off to see a superhero movie than a romantic comedy. Anyway, this will be the last update before I leave for vacation.

Yes, I have thought of doing a prequel or a series of shorts about Draco's memories. Who knows I've got a long plane ride ahead of me, but I'll work on this story at the airport or at least try and get more done while I'm waiting around. I also hate 's uploading system. It's crap.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	36. Part 36: Still At the Warehouse

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Thirty-Six: Still At the Warehouse

The bile rose in her throat again as she scrambled to vomit into the toilet next to her. It didn't matter how many baths she took because none would remove the stench of death that had seeped into her skin. She could brush her teeth and use potions to clean her breath, but the vomit was permanent in her mouth. She felt sick as she replayed the whole thing in her head again. She got up from the bathroom floor and washed her face and hands.

When she emerged, she saw him reading the newspapers. She knew it was one of his favorite pastimes along with torturing her. She stared blankly as she sunk into a nearby armchair. Her hands were on her lap as she sat in a state of heightened alertness. Slowly, she relaxed only to be jolted out of it. "_Crucio."_ Pain shot through her body as she seized up and screamed at the same time. He never lowered the newspaper. She crumpled onto the floor when he was done. "One more to go," he said, lowering the newspaper only to turn the page.

"Who else?" she gasped. "There's no one else. You've killed them all." Her voice was struggling as she nearly cried.

"We killed them," he mildly corrected, "but he's alive. They're about to crown him The New Boy Who Lived."

"He's just a child," she whispered, only able to look at the floor. She didn't bother to try and get up. If she had, he'd take away her ability to move again.

He said, "So were those girls. You killed them." His voice was almost glib like he was discussing the latest Quidditch matches.

"Then you finish them," she practically begged. "I got it wrong the first time."

"No, you'll do it," he insisted as she got up. "But without your wand."

Her eyes widened as she realized that he had used her own wand on her. She knew that instant that he had meant to finish her off as well. She didn't know if she should thank God that it was nearly over or not because he only took the wands when he was done with someone. Her time was nearly up.

***

Scorpius was more than stunned than anyone once the memory had faded to white on the wall. "What was that?" he exploded as he got to his feet.

Harry replied, "I had a theory and it's starting to look right."

"Draco Malfoy took down Greyback," breathed Teddy. "But everyone knows it was the Inquisitor who did it—" He stopped mid-sentence as he stared at his godfather. His eyes bugged out a bit as he declared, "He was the Inquisitor."

"Who the Bloody Hell was the Inquisitor?!" demanded Scorpius.

His voice at that moment sounded so much like his father's that it caught Harry and Ron off guard. Teddy was shocked. "I've never heard you swear before," he told Scorpius.

Ron said, "Not that you don't have the right to, but for right now we need to confirm more before we tell you more about Harry's theory."

Harry interjected, "The Inquisitor was thought to be an urban myth. The underbelly of our society claimed that there was a person who captured Death Eaters and other dark wizards out of our jurisdiction and sometimes in. They are so afraid of him that so far we never had any actual evidence of the Inquisitor's existence beyond just a few accounts."

"But why is this the first time I've heard of the Inquisitor?" asked Scorpius.

"This is something out a Muggle comic book," said Ron as he looked around. "Hugo loves those things. His granddad, Hermione's father, takes us to the cinema to the moving pictures. I must say I rather like them myself. Well, maybe not Spider-man. I just can't get into that one."

Teddy agreed, "Batman. This is more like Batman. Or Zorro, but that's not really comics."

"Enough," Harry cut them off to avoid confusing Scorpius further.

Scorpius looked at a loss. "He never told me about anything," he muttered.

"He never intended for people to know," said Harry.

Scorpius said, "That means there are more suspects doesn't it?"

"Yes," answered Ron, now re-focused at the task at hand. "Your father had no shortage of enemies both old and new."

"That's not helping, Ron," snapped Teddy.

Scorpius shook his head, "It's all right, Teddy. Mr. Weasley's right."

"Didn't Lucius say that the Inquisitor killed his son?" asked Ron.

Scorpius raised an eyebrow at this. He hadn't had direct contact with his grandfather in almost a year. He said, "He gave you the lead, didn't he, Mr. Potter?"

Harry nodded. There was very little point in keeping it a secret. "Your grandfather has stonewalled us better than you. I caught him coming out of the courthouse and I followed up on the lead."

"But _why_ didn't he say that his son was the Inquisitor?" insisted Ron.

"Lucius wouldn't just tell you straight out," snarled Scorpius. "He knew. He knew all along. He likes playing games like this with people, even if it involves his dead son."

"Um…not to add more questions, but the Inquisitor went after Death Eaters, wouldn't that have made family gatherings awkward?" asked Teddy.

Scorpius groaned. "It does explain why Draco and his father didn't get along for almost twenty years after the war," shrugged Harry. "It was a conflict of interest. We wouldn't know for sure until we review everything." Scorpius, who had sat down along the course of the conversation, stood up again. He had had enough of the warehouse and his father's numerous secrets. "You don't mind if we take more of a look, do you?"

"Do whatever you want," muttered Scorpius. "I need some air."

Teddy was about to go after him, but Harry stopped him, "Give him a couple of minutes to mull it over, Teddy."

Ron gave a low whistle as he got up. "This is overwhelming for a kid to process. What do we do first?"

"Get the memories back to HQ," said Harry. "I want a full inventory by the end of business today. Get as many people down here as possible, if you have to, Ron."

"What about me?" asked Teddy.

Harry glanced at him. "Take Scorpius back to my house and tell his grandmother what we have. She gave me some insight on Lucius. She didn't let on that she knew anything about this."

"Those women are hard to read," agreed Teddy. He looked a bit ill at the prospect. "How am I going to tell her? Oh, what fun this will be." Teddy's skin changed from his regular skin tone to something paler, almost as pale as Scorpius.

"You can do it. Practice on Scorpius," said Harry.

"Yeah," said Teddy.

"Everything is to be kept quiet," said Harry to Ron. "This is probably the biggest news to come out in years."

"You mean since Voldemort?"

"Yes. I'm going to have a word with Lucius Malfoy," answered Harry. "I think I know how to talk to him now."

Teddy waited a couple of minutes, or he tried to, before he went outside to talk to Scorpius. He found him leaning against the side of the building. "You know your father was a hero in my book," ventured Teddy gingerly. "He took down the werewolf who attacked my dad in the first place. Your dad is the reason why I've been able to sleep at night. If he were around, I'd thank him for what he did." Scorpius said nothing as Teddy joined him. "Let me tell you what I know about the Inquisitor. It's mostly rumor, but some of it might be true."

"It's all right. You don't have to," said Scorpius softly. "I was just thinking about all the times he went away. My mum worried a lot, but he always came back. I never understood until now. She knew, too, but she didn't say anything."

"When I was growing up, I would ask questions about my parents because I never got to know them," said Teddy. "It took years before Harry could tell me how they died. When he finally told me, I understood why he didn't do it earlier. He was trying to protect me. Your parents were doing that, too."

"You don't get it, Teddy," whispered Scorpius. "I thought I knew my dad, but it turns out I didn't know him at all."

"No, you only knew a few sides of him, Score," Teddy reassured him. "From what I've heard about your dad, he was a pretty complicated person. He was good and bad. You only saw the good. That's all he let you see. He used his bad side to do good work, but that's obviously not what he wanted people to know about him."

"Why didn't he let on? Why didn't he take credit for it?" asked Scorpius.

"I don't know," replied Teddy.

***

Teddy and Scorpius returned to the Potters' house sometime later. Scorpius didn't feel up for talking to anyone at that point. He had a lot to think about. Everything he had thought about his father had been thrown into a tailspin. He couldn't understand what was going on. Teddy left without telling Ginny or anyone anything and went straight to Manderlay to talk to his aunt.

Scorpius started to play his violin, which was heard from the outside. Ginny had a visit from Hermione and Angelina. They watched as she came back from inside the house with her arms folded over her chest. She had a worried look on her face. "I couldn't get anything out of Teddy," she said simply as she re-took her seat at the outdoor table.

The Aurors were good at keeping things quiet until they were ready to give out information. Harry's influence insured it. The children were playing with their broomsticks, practicing Quidditch. It didn't seem right that one child be left out, even if he had chosen to be. Ginny was worried about Scorpius as much as any mother should be. "He'll talk when he's ready," Hermione assured her.

"You weren't here when it happened," said Ginny, referring to the horrible night when the latest murders had happened. "It was just as bad as Harry. I know he's putting up a front like Harry did. Harry is keeping his eye on him all the time now. But when he goes back to school, what will happen?"

"Neville will take over," answered Angelina. "It takes a village to raise a child. Fred said that Scorpius is strong. He's amazed that he's been able to put up a front for so long."

"I never thought something like this would ever happen again," said Ginny. "Harry wouldn't have wished this on his worst enemy." The sound of the music halted all activity.

James was the first one to touch down on the ground. "Malfoy's back, isn't he?" he asked.

"I wonder where Dad took him," said Albus. Scorpius hadn't told him exactly what was going on.

Louis was with James for the practice. He shrugged as he joined them, "Malfoy's a bit weird. I mean all that stuff in the papers. He gave away all that money he inherited from his aunt and uncle. The papers figured it out."

"He gives more than he spends," snorted Albus. "Imagine trying to use money that you inherited because your family was murdered. He has a hard time even letting anyone use his parents' things. He would rather use his father's broom than the Mach."

"I guess it would be hard to spend that money," admitted James. "Al, what did he see that made him scream like that?"

"If he wanted you to know, he'd tell you," replied Albus without a hint of smugness. "And don't ask again or I'll tell Mum and Dad."

Lily was partly listening to them as Roxanne walked beside her. She could hear the violin. She hadn't seen him much and he wasn't avoiding her gaze much longer, yet he might as well have been on another planet. She didn't know how she could help him. Roxanne didn't know how to help her.

Hugo, Rose, and Louis were the only ones who weren't burdened by anything. James wanted to know what was going. Albus and Lily were worried about Scorpius. "I just wish that Malfoy wouldn't put on that violin music," said James. "It's so sad. I guess playing his mum's albums help."

"He's not playing an album. He's playing the violin," clarified Fred. "You know the instrument with strings with a bow."

"Really?" asked Louis. "I guess he would know how to play."

"You know we know more about Malfoy these past days because of the newspapers," pointed out Rose.

Albus shook his head, "They don't know anything about him. Nothing that counts anyway."

Rose glared at Albus. She wanted to know what was going on, too, but not as badly as James. She felt like her cousin had been usurped by a trespasser. She thought that Malfoy wasn't completely truthful and didn't present himself in a truthful way. Or she felt that she should be trusted as well and not just Albus. It was hard to say.

The music stopped abruptly and Ginny stood up right away with Hermione following her. The reason why was because Scorpius was headed downstairs. He was coming through the door as they were coming inside. "I was thirsty, Mrs. Potter," he said. He attempted to smile, but failed. Instead he said, "Hello Mrs. Weasley."

"Hello," said Hermione as Scorpius went to help himself to some water.

"Have you eaten anything?" asked Ginny.

Scorpius shook his head, "I'm not hungry, Mrs. Potter."

Ginny gave him an exasperated look similar to the ones he was used to getting from his grandmother and aunt. "Why didn't Harry think of feeding you?"

"Or Ron?" chimed in Hermione. "Although, I'm not surprised."

"They didn't ask," shrugged Scorpius.

"Men, they don't think of these things," sighed Ginny.

Scorpius said, "You don't have to worry, Mrs. Potter. I'm fine."

Ginny ignored him as she prepared him something to eat. Hermione took the glass that Scorpius was holding away from him. She went to get him some lemonade. Scorpius had lost this round. Why were women always so intent on feeding him? He was forced to sit down and eat a sandwich and drink some juice before he was allowed to leave.

By then, the other children were coming in along with Angelina. "Hello Scorpius," greeted Albus.

"Hello," said Scorpius as he finished the juice. "Everyone."

"Where's Teddy?" asked James. "I thought he was with you."

"He went to talk to my grandmother," replied Scorpius.

"Did you get yourself into more trouble with her?" asked James with a bit of a smirk.

"No, my father did," answered Scorpius. He suddenly found the tabletop fascinating and refused to look up at anyone. "So, Rose, did you finish up all of the homework?"

"Yes," replied Rose smoothly.

"That last problem that Professor Vector put was a bit tricky, but I'm sure you worked it out," said Scorpius mildly.

"Well, I still have to work on it," admitted Rose. "Why did you finish it?"

"Yes, of course," replied Scorpius. "Do you need some help, Weasley?"

Rose's lips formed a firm line as she shook her head. "But, you said you needed help," pointed out Hugo.

"Shut it," she snapped at her younger brother.

"She was up really late until she gave up," continued Hugo. "She was going over her notes again and again, saying she must have missed something that Professor Vector had said."

"I have the notes from the class," offered Scorpius. "I don't know if you'd be able to read them though."

"Your handwriting isn't as bad as Fred's chicken scratch," said Albus.

"That's not what I meant," said Scorpius. He got up. "I'll show you."

Rose glared at her brother. "You are so dead. I don't when, but you'll get it."

"Rose, please don't threaten your brother," warned Hermione. She was rather curious about Scorpius' notes. She had offered Rose help, but her daughter had stubbornly refused. Rose pointed out that there were some kids who didn't need help from their parents.

Scorpius came back and handed over his notebook. Rose grabbed it out of his hand and opened it. "I can't read this," she declared. "It's got musical notes all over it."

"Oh, that's the wrong notebook. That's my Ancient Runes' notebook," said Scorpius. "Hang on, I'll be right back."

Rose flipped through the notebook. "You're not even paying attention in Ancient Runes, Malfoy. How are you passing the class?" she asked.

Scorpius returned with the correct notebook and answered, "Because I use them as mnemonic devices. I mean the music. I've been able to read music since I was about five. My mum taught me."

"That's why you were humming during the final!" exclaimed Rose.

Scorpius asked, "I was humming? I don't remember humming."

"Yes, you were. That's cheating."

"No, it's not. It's just using what I have. You are a grade grubber, Weasley."

The stunned silence in the room that followed was profound. There was a sharp intake of air from Hugo as he hid behind his mother. James started laughing, "I never heard anyone describe you so well Rosie."

Rose's nostrils flared at that point. "I am not a grade grubber, Malfoy," she seethed.

"Yes, you are," said Scorpius with infuriating calm. "That's why you can't just see the answers in Vector's class. Showing work is a waste of time. Only the answer matters in the real world, Weasley."

"You aren't smarter than me."

"I never said I was, but if you want to settle this, I'll give you the chance to." Scorpius didn't say he needed the distraction.

* * *

Author's Note: I came back from London about two weeks ago, so I've been trying to get everything is getting settled again. I had lots of catch up at work. This chapter was a bit harder to write. I did want to do this upcoming part. Scorpius can be annoying as hell, if he intends to be. Harry and Ron continue with the investigation. Harry has another conversation with Lucius Malfoy. Some people are out there guessing who the two people are.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	37. Part 37: The Graveyard

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Thirty-Seven: The Graveyard

Harry had one frustrating afternoon attempting to locate Lucius Malfoy for further questioning. Ron had agreed to meet him back at the house and they would start fresh that next day. Neither of them had expected the scene at Harry's house. They came out of Harry's office to hear screaming.

"That's not fair! You're not even taking Care for Magical Creatures! How could you know the answer!"

Ron winced, recognizing his daughter's voice. Clearly, the girl had inherited her parents' lung capacities. Ron sighed and almost rolled his eyes as he and Harry heard a calm, almost familiar drawl, "I read Al's book. It's not that hard."

They rounded the corner. "Dad!" declared Hugo as he ran up to Ron. He didn't even wait for his father or uncle to ask what was going on, "Scorpius called Rose a grade grubber then challenged her to a quiz match and he's beating her! Rose is pissed!"

"I'm not losing the score is tied!" exclaimed Rose.

Hermione sighed as she scolded, "Hugo, don't swear. This was supposed to be only a few questions. How it got this far I'm not sure. We've been at this for hours now."

"If you're so smart, then why aren't you top of our class?" Rose asked Scorpius sharply.

Scorpius shrugged as he replied, "Are you serious? I don't want to waste my energy jumping through professors' hoops for brass rings. I've got more important things to worry about. Besides, if you do everything perfectly then they'll always expect it. I don't like to be that predictable."

"Stop talking, you fool!" hissed Fred. "When you're not around, she'll take it out on us!"

James and Louis were laughing so hard that their faces were red. Hugo had latched onto his father for protection. Ron looked rather amused, but wiped the grin off his face when his daughter glared at him. "Next question," said Hermione. "In Muggle Studies, name the device they use to pinpoint the location of a person or device."

"GPS, Global Positioning Satellite," said Scorpius promptly.

"Now, how am I supposed to know that?" asked Rose. "I'm not taking Muggle Studies."

"I'm not taking Care for Magical Creatures either, but I got the last one right," said Scorpius smugly.

Hermione cleared her throat. "Correct, GPS." Her daughter had done well in the beginning but as the game progressed, Scorpius knew more answers. "Looks like the score is now tied."

Lily and Roxanne were the scorekeepers. Lily marked down Scorpius' last point. She didn't know who to root for. Scorpius had handicapped himself in the beginning by making Hermione the quiz master.

"Sudden death!" declared James. He, Louis, Fred, and Albus started chanting, "Sudden death! Sudden death!"

"For the tie breaker," said Hermione, "I have devised an Arithmancy problem. Show all your work for the final points." With her wand, she conjured two broads. She flicked her wrist and the equation appeared.

Rose raced to the broad and looked at the problem and started working it. Scorpius sat still staring at the equation for a good minute. His eyes moved over it like he was reading music. He got up and strolled up to the board. At the very bottom, he put the answer to the equation. Hermione gasped, but quickly reminded him, "Show all the work, Scorpius."

"Yes, Mrs. Weasley," he said as he started to write directly under the equation. He wrote with a steady hand and never stopped to erase unlike Rose. He only stopped to make sure he was including all the steps. He stopped and stepped back. The last thing he did was erase the answer at the bottom to move it up to fill in the gap. He drew a box around the answer and said, "Done."

"Rose?" asked Hermione as Scorpius sat back donw.

"Done," said Rose a minute later.

Hermione walked over to her daughter's board first. She nodded approvingly. "You got all the steps in and correct answer. Great job, Rose," she praised as Rose beamed.

Hermione walked over to Scorpius' broad, which was cleaner than Rose's. His writing was neat and precise. "This is all correct, too," concluded Hermione. "Scorpius wins. He had the answer on the board and completed all the steps ahead of you, Rose."

Albus asked, "How'd you do it?"

"I just see the answers," answered Scorpius.

Rose folded her arms over her chest as her mother consoled her. "You both got it right in the end, love. That's all that counts. You did your best."

Scorpius turned to Harry. "Did you talk to Lucius?" he asked quietly.

"I couldn't find him," said Harry.

Scorpius said, "Big shock there. He probably took off as soon as he told you about the Inquisitor."

"The who?" interrupted Albus.

"My dad," said Scorpius.

"Scorpius, came with me," ordered Harry. The boy needed some parenting at this point. Harry knew he was probably the only person who could get through to him.

"Back to the office," said Scorpius blandly as he got up.

"No, grab your broom. We're flying," Harry informed him.

"Okay," said Scorpius slowly. He threw glance at Albus, who looked as confused as he was.

Scorpius went with Albus to get his broom out of the shed. Lily wondered what was going on as her father went to go change out of his work clothes.

"So Scorpius' smarter than you. It's no big deal, Rose," said Fred in an attempt to placate her.

"He isn't smarter than me," snapped Rose.

Louis shook his head. "No, Malfoy is. He could have wasted you earlier, but he didn't. He held back from the start. He went easy on you."

"No, he didn't," insisted Rose.

James came to Rose's aid, saying, "It's hard to say. Malfoy's hard to read, except when he got to the end."

Harry came back down and went to kiss Ginny. She stopped him, saying, "If you are out late, make sure you feed him. Oh, and make sure he's got a jacket on."

"Yes," nodded Harry. "We won't be long."

Ginny kissed him. "Good luck. You're going to need it."

Scorpius and Albus were having a conversation similar to Albus' parents. "My dad didn't sound mad, so maybe you're not in trouble," said Albus.

"When has your dad ever made you go flying with him just like this?" asked Scorpius.

"Well, the last time was when I accidentally blasted a hole through James' door, but we just talked. He didn't yell."

Scorpius muttered, "I've been a pain in the arse to your dad. I'm tired of making everyone worry about me."

"Look, try and keep your mouth shut and let him talk. He'll say a bunch of stuff. Whatever you do, don't drag it out. And remember he's not mad," said Albus hurriedly. He spotted his dad. "Good luck, mate." He went by his dad. Harry clapped his hand on Albus' back as he went by.

Harry pulled out his broomstick. It was the latest model that was manufactured by the makers of his old Firebolt. "Have you rode your broomstick at all?" he asked Scorpius ruefully. "It seems that everyone else has ridden it except you."

"Yes, I have sir," nodded Scorpius.

"Follow me," said Harry.

Scorpius mounted his broom and waited for Harry to take off. Immediately, Scorpius could see why everyone said Harry Potter was one of the best flyers in the world. Harry didn't make it easy for him. If it wasn't for the Mach's intuitive controls, Scorpius might not have been able to keep track.

"We're almost there," shouted Harry as he looped over a cloud.

"Where are we going, Mr. Potter?" asked Scorpius over the wind and air whizzing around them.

"You'll see," shouted Harry as he flipped the broomstick around, so he was upside down.

Scorpius couldn't see where they were. He had never gone over this part before on a broom. Suddenly, Harry dove passed him. "Straight down, we're here!"

Scorpius followed him. As they dipped lower and lower, Scorpius began to recognize his surroundings a bit. At first, he didn't because he was used to seeing it covered in snow with the tree branches bare. There was no turning back. This was only his fourth visit there.

Scorpius' face paled as he dismounted. Harry said, "I always wanted to know where my parents were buried, but no one told me until it was over. I never got to visit them for years." He was standing over the grave of Draco Malfoy. "I never had a place to go to be with my parents. Not like you." Scorpius was silent. "It's only naturally to avoid things that give us pain, Scorpius, but I have a question for you: why are you ashamed of your father?"

Leave it to a Potter to strike Scorpius dumb. "I'm not ashamed of my dad," denied Scorpius in an outraged voice after a moment.

"It seems to me that you are," said Harry.

"I'm not. I loved my dad. I wanted to be like him."

"Then why haven't you been more forceful about the investigation?"

"I don't know."

"Come on, Scorpius. You must know."

Scorpius was reeling. All the time and hardly anyone had questioned Scorpius' passiveness and outward lack of interest in the investigation. He started to feel like the walls were closing in on him, even though there were none. "Don't you think that your father deserves more than that from you?" asked Harry. His voice was surprisingly gentle.

"How could I? He lied to me my entire life. The one thing he asked me to do and I can't do it. I'm not like him. I can't be brave. It was easy for him to say it. He knew what was out there. I don't. I'm scared all the time of what will happen next and who else will be taken from me."

"I understand," said Harry, "but you haven't seen how far you've gotten. Your father wouldn't have questioned his own father at your age. I saw your father breakdown under immense pressure as your sixth year. He wasn't always the person you knew, Scorpius."

"Maybe I don't ask because I've learned not to. I know that my mum knew. She helped him cover it up," said Scorpius as he ran his hand along his side.

Harry understood how Scorpius held it in. He had kept up a better front than anyone. "I once saw someone's memory of my dad. He was just a kid really who was trying to impress my mum," he told Scorpius. "He thought it would impress her to pick on her friend and humiliate him in front of everyone."

Harry never told his own children about Professor Snape's memory. "I was shocked and utterly disappointed in my dad. Teddy's dad tried to explain it to me, but I couldn't understand at the time. It took my dad down to earth and made him real to me."

"I've spent my whole life trying to live my dad's reputation down," said Scorpius. "If what you and Teddy say about him being the Inquisitor is true, then it changes everything. How am I supposed to live up to that?"

"You don't," replied Harry simply. He had had similar conversations with his own children. He closed the gap between them. "You be you. And I apologize for earlier. I assumed that you'd be exactly like your dad, but you're not. You take after your mother in personality according to your grandmother."

"My dad used to say that all the good in me came from my mum," said Scorpius.

"Whatever we find out about your parents, you need to know," said Harry seriously. "Believe me, I know it hurts, but I envy you. I wished that my father had left behind something like yours."

Scorpius had nothing to left to say. The last time he had stood over his father's grave he was overcome by blinding, physical pain. There was a different sort of pain now. There was a throbbing much like his scar. He didn't even noticed how much he missed being close to them, if only physically.

"I promise you, Scorpius, it won't always be like this," whispered Harry as he kept his eyes trained on the name of his old school rival. He clapped his hand over Scorpius' shoulder. "Life can go on, if we let it. You can't stay in one spot forever."

Somehow, Scorpius believed him.

***

Narcissa dropped by the Potters with Teddy while Harry and Scorpius had gone out. Ginny had offered her some tea to keep her calm while they waited. Hermione and Ron were with them. The children were hustled outside when Narcissa had arrived. Angelina had very bad luck keeping them from the windows and doors. They were gatherings in separate groups.

Lily watched Scorpius' grandmother with apprehension. The woman seemed cold and aloof, and completely the opposite of her own gran. Lily wanted Narcissa to like her. "Malfoy's gran looks scary, doesn't she?" said James out loud to Albus.

"Nah, she's wonderful," said Fred, yet he conceded, "but I wouldn't cross her either."

"Scorpius said she lied to Voldemort's fasce when she ordered her to check to see if Dad was alive," said Albus. "I'm glad it's not his grandfather."

Narcissa did something unexpected. She had seen the curious looks from the window. She smiled and waved. This surprised them, so they scattered.

"Sorry about that," said Ginny apologetically.

Narcissa shook her head as she smiled. "Draco would peek around corners like that when he was a child," she said.

Teddy said "It's not as bad as Scorpius at the Leaky Cauldron."

"True," said Narcissa. "Scorpius can be a bit of a handful. Draco kept swearing he'd drive him mad one day."

"Now that I don't believe," said Ron almost fondly. "Although, Scorpius was rather obnoxious earlier."

"I'm sorry about that," said Narcissa, having heard about Scorpius and Rose's academic duel. "It's the Ravenclaw in him. Professor McGonagall and Professor Longbottom are certain that he's been lazy when it comes to his studies. I'd push him harder, but I think he has enough pressure on him."

Hermione said, "Nevillle has been in contact with Harry and Scorpius. The school's security has been reinforced."

"Do you think it will keep everything that could get to my grandson out?" asked Narcissa.

Ron glanced at his wife as he answered, "No, it won't, Mrs. Malfoy. How much were you aware of your son's business activities?"

"I always assumed that Draco worked for himself because he couldn't get a job elsewhere. He wouldn't even let his father or me help him. Lucius and Draco butted heads so often. I was in the middle," said Narcissa with a hollow chuckle. "I have become an expert on the Malfoy males, but they never cease to amaze me. I don't mean that in a good way either."

"Scorpius isn't like his father or his grandfather," said Ginny.

"Give him enough time, you don't know him as well as I do. He's probably angry with his father," said Narcissa knowingly. "I can't blame him. I'm mad at him, too. Leave it to my son to find a way to infuriate me from beyond the grave."

Ron's eyebrows raised a bit as he gave a bit of look to Hermione. Ginny almost laughed out loud, but the situation wasn't all that humorous. Teddy said, "Your son was a hero. He took down the man who gave me nightmares for weeks when I was a kid."

Narcissa gave Teddy small, sad smile. She went back to looking prim and calm as Teddy sort of smiled a bit, too.

Albus and Fred had given up waiting and spying at the doorways and windows. They now positioned themselves by the broom shed. Albus was quite relieved when he saw his father and Scorpius returning. Before they could even touchdown, Albus announced, "Your grandmother is here, Score."

"How long has she been waiting?" asked Harry.

"About twenty minutes, Uncle Harry," answered Fred promptly.

"We'll take the brooms," offered Albus.

"Thanks," said Scorpius as he handed off to Fred.

Harry clapped his hand on his son's shoulder as he gestured Scorpius to follow him inside. He gave a strange smile to his nephews, nieces, other son, and daughter as they went by. Scorpius fleetingly caught Lily's eye. She looked worried, not that he wasn't. He didn't like the idea of her worrying about him. He flashed a small smile of reassurance as he closed the door behind him.

Harry flicked his wand and all the curtains closed. "Hello Mrs. Malfoy. Sorry about the wait, we went out for a bit," he said.

Scorpius went up to his grandmother and gave her a very quick hug and kiss from behind without her getting up right before taking his seat next to her. "If you tell me you're all right, I will be very irritated with you, Scorpius," his grandmother told him.

"No, I wasn't going to say that, Grandmother," said Scorpius.

"Mrs. Malfoy, we found the memories that your son left behind at his warehouse along with evidence that indicates that your son was involved in certain activities that were considered illegal," said Harry. "Were you aware of his work?"

Narcissa placed her hand on top of Scorpius as she shook her head. "Draco said he was just a consultant and that his clients required confidentiality. He never talked about it with me. If I had known, I would have done anything to stop him from doing such dangerous things."

"Lucius indicated that he knew," said Harry. "In fact, he was the one who pointed towards the Inquisitor as a suspect."

Narcissa sighed, "I have heard of the Inquisitor. Everyone in our circle has. Draco one time laughed it off, saying that the Inquisitor was just an urban myth. Just a rumor that Aurors were passing around to keep people in line." Narcissa gave a mirthless laugh, "but I did see that gleam in his eye."

"But why?" asked Ron. "Why would the son of one of Voldemort's right hand men and someone who's worked against us in the past become one of the greatest dark wizard hunters of all time?"

"Draco was always very good at putting up facades. It is a talent that comes from my side of the family," said Narcissa. "To the Blacks, if they can't make it right, then they can at least make it look right. You three only caught just a glimpse of what had transpired in Malfoy Manor before the Dark Lord fell." She threw her glance to Hermione, Ron, and Harry.

Scorpius had rarely heard his family talk about the war. "Draco and I were held hostage in our own home. The Dark Lord knew that Draco could play the piano. Draco was forced to play for him. He also witnessed some atrocious horrors in the house. Upon his return, after the fiasco at the Department of Mysteries, Draco was summoned by the Dark Lord. He made him play for four hours straight while he and some of the others, including my sister, were torturing people. Draco didn't stop playing. He was afraid to, even when the screams became so loud, you couldn't hear him."

"Dad never talked about that," whispered Scorpius. "What were you doing?"

"My sister kept me otherwise occupied," replied Narcissa.

Teddy whispered, "Bellatrix."

"Actually, it was the only favor my sister did for me," said Narcissa. "She said if it had been anyone else, she would have let me try and stop them. She said that if I were dead, then there wouldn't be anyone around to protect my son. But she had no problem sacrificing my son to advance her cause. She would have betrayed us in an instant if the Dark Lord had ordered her. After the Department of Mysteries, she was looking for a way back into his good graces."

"I did everything I could to keep my family together. I was so immersed in it all that I didn't even notice that my family wasn't the same after the war. Draco was so angry and lost. He left for three years. Lucius didn't want him to go, but I told him that Draco was like sand. The harder we tried to hang on to him, the more he'd slip through our fingers. Maybe, Lucius was trying to hang on to Draco because he knew we'd already lost him."

* * *

Author's Note: Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to do much in the last few weeks. I had a really busy time at work and I came down with the flu from hell. Regular hellish flu, not swine. I won't even begin to make any promises as to when the next update will happen. Thanks as always for keeping up with the story and for your patience.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	38. Part 38: The Swim Hole

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Thirty-Eight: The Swim Hole

With Narcissa and Scorpius' permission, Harry with help from Ron and Teddy, started the long and tedious process of filling in and fleshing out the timeline of Draco Malfoy's life. They cross referenced the alleged captures of the Inquisitor andd were able to confirm each one. The memories weren't limited to just Draco's work, but also his personal life. They had witnessed the very beginning of Scorpius' life from his mother's pregnancy to his Noel arrival.

The center of Draco's world was his wife and son. Astoria had had a quiet inner strength about her that made her more than a suitable partner for her husband. It was at her bidding that Draco not bring his work into their home. She also asked that they shield their son from his work as much as possible. He agreed to it. One memory that stood out was one where he played with his young son on the floor despite having cracked ribs. He pretended he was all right. It was clear that his work had taken some toll on his marriage.

"Draco's captures coincided with Astoria's touring schedule," said Teddy, who had done the research on Astoria's life. "I mean not all of them, but a lot of them did."

"Malfoy was very good with his memory charms," said Ron. "No wonder none of them remembered him."

Harry said, "It goes deeper than that. Ron, you were right. To suspect that there were others involved." He pointed to the picture of the Slytherins that Ron had introduced into evidence. "Clive Warrington was Draco's lawyer. More importantly, he was the one who had set up the shell companies that allowed Draco to run his operations. He also managed the legal papers amongst the Muggles. Clive was made partner at the firm that is now Scorpius' lawyers."

Harry pointed to Gregory Goyle. "Goyle's position at G & G allowed for the equipment to be brought in unnoticed. In fact, Draco had loaned the money to Goyle to buy into the partnership there. He delivered the packages and signed for them. He knew what was coming and when. They were brother-in-laws through their marriages to the Greengrass sisters."

"Anthony Montague," said Harry as he tapped the photo, "was Draco's healer. In exchange, Draco invested in his private practice. He had Draco's real and rather extensive medical history. He was on call for Draco's medical needs, day or night. Montague had a medical history that was less extensive for our review at his practice."

"But we know that his practice more or less dissolved within months of the murders of the Malfoys," put in Ron.

Harry nodded, "Right." He turned his attention to the women in the photograph. "Millicent Bulstrode, even though she had to be a caregiver for her parents, kept tabs on targets in Eastern Europe. She passed on the information to Draco, which helped him in the first of many captures. Most specifically one in Moscow."

"What about Parkinson?" asked Ron. "We've seen so many memories, yet we haven't seen her at all."

Harry shrugged, "Maybe she wasn't as involved as the others."

"According to sources, she worked as a buyer at Gladrags up until last year. She was the one who helped Daphne Greengrass' line catch on in the UK," said Teddy. "Her flat has been vacant for a while. It's hard to tell."

"Her work at Gladrags was more independent, but she didn't have to check in if she didn't want to," said Ron. "I think she disappeared sometime after the murders of the Malfoys and before the murders of the Goyles."

"Any ideas as to her whereabouts when the Malfoys were killed?" asked Harry.

"Pansy Parkinson's father said he was with her for the holidays," said Teddy.

"We're not done yet going over everything," said Harry. "I've got a bad feeling about this."

"Malfoy spent three years living amongst the Muggles without a wand and almost no magic," said Ron thoughtfully. "He learned how to be like one and blend in."

Teddy smiled, "But it was beneficial for him. He learned how to fight and build things. More importantly, how to act and disappear among them. If it were us, we'd just sweep in, fix it, wipe memories clean, and move on."

"Lucius Malfoy will have a hard time believing that," agreed Harry. He had seen the seemingly endless fights that Draco had had with his father.

"Are you going to speak with him again?"

"Yes, but this time. I think I might get through to him," replied Harry.

***

Scorpius didn't say much about what he had learned about his dad nor did he share what Harry had said to him in the graveyard. He was set to return home the day after the following day. Only one person really wanted him gone and voiced his opinion loudly. "Oh thank Merlin, I thought you'd never leave," proclaimed James.

"I've been here for two weeks," said Scorpius.

"You can stay longer if you want," offered Albus.

James rolled his eyes, but then said, "Hey, why not take Al with you when you leave, Malfoy?"

Albus said, "Actually—"

Ginny cut them off, "No, Al. I think Scorpius' grandmother would like him to herself for a bit."

Lily bit her lip. She didn't really want Scorpius to leave either. His grandmother ended up staying for dinner, and her uncle, George, joined them because Angelina, Fred, and Roxanne were already at the house. Teddy had called his grandmother over. Lily had failed to notice that Narcissa was watching her. Scorpius hadn't done a good job at being slightly twitchy around Lily. She made him nervous. If that was a good or bad thing, he hadn't figured it out yet.

The problem was that Lily couldn't be alone with Scorpius. There was no reason that she would be alone with him. None she could come up with anyway. That was rather depressing. Now he was going back home and she wouldn't probably get a chance to see him again until September.

"Hey my birthday's coming up," said Albus. True, August was drawing closer and closer. Albus was a Leo like his dad.

"When is it?" asked Scorpius.

"The eighth," replied Albus. "You didn't know my birthday, but I know yours."

Shrugging Scorpius merely said, "That's 'cause Teddy blurted it out. I have no intention of celebrating my birthday again."

"That's sad," said Lily.

Scorpius glanced at her. "It's okay. I don't really mind," he assured her. He went back to the original topic, "So what are you going to do, Al?"

"Dunno," answered Albus.

James said, "Why must we celebrate the day that my perfect life ended?" This earned him a sharp look from Ginny. "Ow, Lily don't kick me!" He dropped under the table to check his shin.

"Have you ever thought of doing something Muggle?" asked Scorpius.

Albus answered, "Not really."

"I'm supposed to write a paper for my Muggle Studies class about their entertainment," said Scorpius. "Now I've been the movies a few times, quite a few times. I've been to their theaters to see their plays. I was thinking that you might like a fun fair. It's got rides, games, and food. I've been on roller coasters before with my mum. We never could get my dad on one."

"That sounds like fun," said Albus with a grin.

James rolled his eyes at the very idea, but only because it was Scorpius'. Scorpius slumped at bit as he remembered something. "I don't think I could make it if you do it."

"What? You suggest that, and you can't make it!" exclaimed Albus.

Scorpius looked down as he explained, "Security, Al. I can't just go around anywhere. I'm on a tight leash. There's just a few places that I can go to."

Ginny said, "I'm sure that Harry can work it out. When he was your age, he was able to go to the Quidditch World Cup. He understands how important it is for you to do normal things, Scorpius, like going to your friend's birthday celebration."

"Why so much security?" asked James. He jerked his thumb at Scorpius. "What's so special about him?"

Ginny answered, "James, don't ask so many questions."

"You stayed here for two weeks and you woke me up in the middle of the night," said James directly to Scorpius.

"Someone wants me dead," said Scorpius quietly, looking James in the eye. "He already tried before. He had no problem killing my family. He killed my parents, my aunt, my uncle, and my little cousins. They were just little girls, sleeping in their beds last Christmas morning. He kills the people his victims love the most, lets them know it, and finishes them off."

"But you're alive," pointed out James.

"My dad died to keep me alive," sad Scorpius. "The killer made a mistake. He didn't make sure I was dead."

Lily looked at Al and their mother as she said, "The papers never said you were hurt."

"The Aurors held the information back," said Scorpius. He unconsciously ran his hand over his scar. Scorpius never had a chance to tell Albus what he had learned about his father. "I was hurt," he said as he faced Lily. "There is a lot you don't know about me."

Lily didn't like the way he had said that. Scorpius saw the hurt look on her face and immediately felt awful about it. He still hadn't really figured out how he felt about her. "Sorry," he muttered as he looked away from her.

"Now, now," said Ginny bracingly, "this is Scorpius' last day, so I'm letting you kids have the day off. What do you want do?"

"Swim. It's going to be hot," answered James promptly.

"Yeah," agreed Albus.

Scorpius didn't say anything. He wasn't keen on having his shirt off. He didn't vocalize any objections because he didn't want anyone to make any accommodations for him. So, it was quickly settled that they would go to the Burrow, which was near a swimming hole.

It wasn't until they were getting ready upstairs did Albus realize Scorpius' problem. "You can't wear that," he said, noticing the standard gray shirt and jeans with trainers. "You can borrow something."

"I'm not swimming," said Scorpius firmly as he shook his head.

"Do you know how?"

"Of course, my dad taught me."

"Then why not?"

"I just don't feel like it."

Albus stared at Scorpius and it dawned on him because Scorpius had his hand at his side. "Your scar. You don't want people to see it."

"Yes, I want people to see that I once had a large gapping hole in my gut, so that people can draw further comparisons to your father," drawled Scorpius in a particularly sarcastic tone.

"You don't have to be facetious," pointed out Albus. Scorpius blinked at him. "Yeah, I know big words, too."

"It's fine. I don't mind."

"Maybe, you could just keep a shirt on."

"Won't work. Once it's wet, the scar will show up."

"I guess we could just play backgammon."

"No, Al. You've already done enough. It's not fair to keep you out of the water just because I don't want people seeing my scar. I just don't want people staring at me."

Albus tried to smile. "At least you can cover up your scar. Dad's scar is right where everyone can see it."

"I'd rather keep it that way," said Scorpius.

"Let's go. There's something you can do without swimming at my grandparents' house," said Albus. Scorpius followed him out of his room.

Ginny saw that he wasn't dressed for swimming. "I'm sure my mother has something."

"It's all right, Mrs. Potter," said Scorpius.

Ginny said, "I suppose it's okay. I just don't want you to be left out."

Now Scorpius wasn't the only one keen on traipsing around in a swimsuit. Lily was struck by a sudden onset of shyness. She had come down wearing her swimsuit, but under a sundress. She was all too aware of her freckles that dotted her shoulders, envying Albus for his lack of the cursed spots. She was put at ease when she saw Scorpius wasn't dressed for swimming either.

Lily had braided her hair in a single braid. She had the nearly ever present hairclips on either side. The sundress fell just below her knees, which weren't as knobby as she thought they were. She looked the definition of a woman child.

"Mum, can I bring some cards?" asked Lily.

"That's a good idea," said Ginny. "Scorpius won't be swimming. You can teach him how to play some games."

"Cards?" asked Scorpius.

"Come on, let's go before it's blazing!" proclaimed James as he ran between them, heading towards the fireplace. With that they left for the Burrow. They arrived just as Fred and his sister had shown up. Rose and Hugo followed after them. Louis and his sister arrived soon after Scorpius and the Potters. Molly and Lucy had spent the night. Their parents had gone to Barbados for their wedding anniversary. Scorpius wasn't used to the chaos.

Mrs. Weasley had multiple picnics set up. She noticed Scorpius' attire and said, "Are you sure you don't want to swim, dear? It's awfully hot."

Scorpius said, "It's fine, Mrs. Weasley. I don't mind."

There was only one other person who knew why Scorpius wasn't swimming. Albus said, "He's not the only one. Lily's not swimming either, right?" He looked to his sister. He was glad that he wasn't going to have to sit out.

"Yes," answered Lily, well aware of Roxanne's presence.

"It's all right, I suppose," relented Mrs. Weasley. She handed him a picnic basket.

Scorpius accepted it, remembering the last time he had had a picnic by the water. It had been on the worst day of his life. He stifled the thought away, keeping his expression neutral. With that, they trooped outside and headed towards the swim hole with James and Louis leading the way. Everyone was carrying something.

They set up everything. Albus and Fred had picked out their spot. They all divided into groups. Albus, Fred, Lily, and Roxanne along with Scorpius were in one spot. James, Louis, Rose, and Hugo were in group, and then Dominique and Lucy were on their own. Scorpius sat under the umbrella that Fred had propped up. Scorpius said to Lily as she sat down not too far away from him with her legs tucked under her dress, "You can go if you want, I don't mind. Really."

"You were right about before. I don't know you that well," said Lily as she took out the deck of cards. She started to shuffle them. Scorpius watched her movements with some fascination.

Scorpius said, "I didn't mean to say it like that before." He felt awkward, yet safe at the same time. A lock of Lily's hair had escaped the back of her ear. Scorpius felt compelled to tuck in back in place. Instead, he clutched at the blanket. He started to feel a strange tingle in his body and it wasn't from his scar for once.

"Do you want to play a game? If not, I could just play solitaire."

"I don't know how to play."

"I'll first explain the cards."

"Okay."

Lily explained the four suits and the cards that were important. She first taught him how to play Egyptian War. She didn't seem much younger than him. She was much more at ease and more confident than she was with him before. "Why me?" he asked her suddenly.

She looked at him a bit puzzled. "What?"

Scorpius repeated the question, "Why me? Of all the boys, you could do better than me."

Lily bit her lip and looked up at him, and then said, "Doubt it. You don't think you're good enough for me?"

"I know I'm not. I'm a Slytherin and a Malfoy. My own grandfather thinks I'm damaged goods. You're Lily Potter. Someday, probably not too long off, you can have any boy you want, top pick."

Lily looked at Scorpius straight in the eye. Her brown eyes flickered at bit. Scorpius didn't know her well enough to know what that meant. "I don't need you or anyone else telling me who I can like or not," she stated coolly. She sat up straight. Scorpius raised an eyebrow at her. "And don't talk about yourself like that. It's like you're putting me down, too."

"What about your family?"

"What about yours? I'm one fourth Muggle born. My father's mother's parents were Muggles."

Scorpius snorted, "My dad always said that pure bloods only work for show dogs or through bred horses, not so much for people. That's not the point."

"Then what is?"

Scorpius was dumbfounded. He didn't have an answer for her. "Lily!" called Roxanne as they came up to them. It was a warning that the others were coming. James was joining them.

"Lil, you should have a dip. The water's nice," he said as he saw down next to her. "Malfoy, why aren't you swimming?"

"I don't feel like it," replied Scorpius, wishing to be left alone about it.

Albus was in the picnic basket getting out the sandwiches. He tossed it to James. "Here!" he exclaimed, knowing how to distract his brother.

James opened it and started eating it.

Albus said to Scorpius, "Don't play her for money. She'll clean you out."

"Why'd you warn him?" asked Fred. "She could have won the Mach from him."

"Now that I'll be sad to see go," chimed in James in between bites.

Albus handed Scorpius a sandwich. "Thanks," said Scorpius. He bit into it and found that it was rather good. It was just a summary of his summer. For the bad things that had happened, there were some good things as well. Overall, it was the most exciting summer Scorpius had so far.

* * *

Author's Note: Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it. I had wanted to get this chapter out before the holiday, but I'm still sick and I just couldn't get to transcribe my handwritten stuff until now. I hope to have another chapter up soon. I know that people are eager to see more interaction between Lily and Scorpius.

I had this chapter ready to post for a while, but I wanted to at least start the next one before I posted this one.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	39. Part 39: The London Eye

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Thirty-Nine: The London Eye

Albus had worked out his birthday. He had decided to take Scorpius' suggestion and do something Muggle. What's more he decided that he wanted to go to one of his favorite spots in London, the London Eye. His parents knew he loved riding it. One time he had gotten separated from his parents and rode it alone with strangers, mostly tourists. Albus had excitedly pointed out the sights that they were looking for. The observation wheel made Albus proud of his Muggle heritage.

Now most of Albus' cousins had ridden on the London Eye at least once. Fred was slightly terrified the first time he rode it, but eventually got better. James and Louis thought it was boring. The reason why Albus had selected the London Eye was because he wanted Scorpius to come. He also insisted that they ride the Underground at least part of the way, so that it would be a more Muggle experience.

His parents had arranged for a private party in one of the capsules. They were going to top everything off at the Burrow, so the party was going to be in two parts. Only four of Albus' cousins would be going, while the others opted out. His grandmother declared that there was no way they were going to get on the Muggle contraption. His grandfather was rather proud of his choice, but wasn't going.

Albus and his siblings along with his dad were going. Ginny was doing preparations at the Burrow. Ron was going with Rose and Hugo as well as Fred with his kids. Neville was invited along with Alice. Teddy and Scorpius would round out the group.

Scorpius had ridden on the Underground before. He didn't know the security measures that were taken earlier. The men were armed with wands and three were active Aurors. The other two were just as skilled. Hary had opted for more crowded places despite the increased unpredictability. They all meet at the Potters' house before taking portkeys to a discreet area near Piccadilly Station. "All right, let's stay together," said Harry.

"Why can't we just portkey all the way there?" asked James in an exasperated voice. One couldn't blame him. It was so hot and stifling on the train with all sorts of people crammed into it. Some were in business suits and others were obviously tourists, not really much different from them. The air had the faint smell of onions and sweat.

"This is more fun," insisted Albus with a grin that irritated James.

"It's sweltering," said James. "Why do you have to be so—" He caught a look from their father and quickly amended, "Never mind. It's your birthday."

"Yes, it is," confirmed Albus happily.

Scorpius was glad that Teddy was there. They were the only ones without dads. At least Scorpius didn't feel left out. Scorpius just found out that Neville was Albus' godfather, yet another thing that he couldn't help but envy his best friend for. Scorpius never had a birthday party like this. As far as he was concerned, he didn't even have a birthday anymore and he decided that he would celebrate Albus' birthday like he would his own.

Roxanne thoughtfully wondered out loud, "I would if the lady ever goes crazy."

"What lady?" asked Rose.

Roxanne explained, "The lady that has to say, 'Mind the gap between the platform and the train,' over and over again. I'd just start saying anything to see if people notice."

Lily giggled, "Roxy, it's a recording."

Scorpius was excited, but more contained about it. There weren't people staring or whispering about him or even the occasional flash bulb going off. He looked towards Lily's direction when he heard her laugh. She was just talking to her cousins. Scorpius didn't look very long. The last thing he needed was anyone noticing.

"I can't believe people travel like this all the time. It's hot in here," whined Fred.

"I like it," said Scorpius as Fred stared at him. "You get to watch the people, but everyone pretends like they're invisible. No one knows who you are and no one cares."

"It is nice to do it every once in a while," agreed Harry with perfect understanding.

"I think the next stop is ours," said Albus.

They all got off. It was just at eleven as they came out from underground, Scorpius could see a large clock and the sound of it chiming. "That's Big Ben," he murmured.

"It's just a clock," shrugged James dismissively.

"It's great!" exclaimed Hugo excitedly.

"We've seen it before, Hugo," pointed out Rose.

"They say that the minute hand is fourteen across," said Albus.

"Daddy, is that big?" asked Ally looking up at Neville, who was holding her hand.

"That's bigger than two Uncle Rons, love," answered Neville with a chuckle. Ally glanced at Ron, who looked down at her grinning. "Wow," she concluded.

Scorpius' jaw dropped when he saw the London Eye gleaming across the Thames. "That's really big," exclaimed Scorpius' thought. She was practically bouncing, yanking her father with all her might forward.

Neville pretended that he was rotted to the ground. Ally tugged on him and he started laughing, "No fair, Daddy," she pouted. Neville scooped her up.

They crossed over the bridge and headed down to the London Eye. Scorpius glanced at the outward structure of the aquarium and saw a bunch of kids running around from the stalls of food. There were people going in and out of a dark place with flashing lights that Scorpius had never seen before. "It's a video arcade," explained Albus almost smugly. For once, he knew more about Muggles than Scorpius did.

Scorpius almost shuddered when he looked at the bank near them. He briefly stiffened as he remembered how the last bodies were found. Neville brought up the rear with Ally in his arms. He went up to Scorpius and Ally tapped him on the shoulder. "It's good to see you, Scorpius, outside of school," said Neville.

"You play the piano. Will you be playing at the party later?" asked Ally.

"Um…sure," said Scorpius.

Ally said, "Daddy said if I say please you'll play something for me. No one really plays the piano at home."

Scorpius smiled a bit. It was a rare one. He didn't smile as often as he should. "I'd like to play something for you," he said.

Roxanne waited until Rose was distracted by others and whispered to Lily, "Looks like you've got some competition."

"I don't get it though. I thought Uncle Neville gave him detention all the time, but it looks like they really get along," said Lily.

Roxanne shrugged but she did agree it was strange that Scorpius and Neville seemed to get along very well. They got into the capsule. Albus pointed out the sites for Scorpius and explained where Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, the House of Parliament, and the Tower of London. They had sandwiches and crisps were waiting along with Muggle drinks, which Scorpius rarely had because he didn't like sugary things that much.

At the end, they went back to the Burrow where the rest of the party was waiting. Scorpius ended up playing a piano that was there. Ally was really thrilled and sat next to him. There were several guests, including Lily's godmother, Luna and her family. Scorpius' grandmother had come along with Teddy's.

Albus was able to pry Scorpius away from the piano long enough to mingle. Scorpius, as usual, didn't eat enough to satisfy his grandmother who had questioned him. Narcissa told him, "A half a sandwich and some sugary water isn't enough, Scorpius."

"I'm fine," said Scorpius sullenly. "Why do you have to ask?"

"I shouldn't have to."

"Can't we just talk about this at home? Please, Grandmother."

"Eat this," ordered Narcissa as she handed him a pasty. Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy."

"Your middle name is Hyperion?" asked Albus as he started laughing. Others were also laughing, especially James, Louis and Fred.

Scorpius accepted the pasty as he retorted to Albus, "Yes, _Severus_." There was even more laughter.

"Well, played," sighed Albus. "Your dad named you, too, didn't he?"

"Do you honestly think that my mum would do this to me? He made it all legal while she was resting on Boxing Day. After that she said she'd never put him in charge of anything involving me ever again."

"My mother willingly agreed to it, but it was definitely my dad's idea. They're bad. It's like our dads didn't want to give us a chance."

"I know," laughed Scorpius as they shook their heads.

Harry piped up, "You know I'm standing right here." Ginny was trying hard to look stern. He shook his head at Albus. "Albus, you were—"

"You were named after two great headmasters," recited Albus from memory.

Scorpius didn't even turn to face his grandmother, saying, "Yeah, yeah, I was named in the great Black family tradition after the stars in the heavens. Why couldn't we have a different family tradition? At least Teddy was spared."

Teddy was looking very smug as Andromeda said, "I think it's nice though. At least, we don't have to worry about other things these boys might do."

"Like what?" asked Teddy.

"Oh, I was worried that you two would be as bad as our cousins," said Andromeda. "Remember those pranks they would play on each other? Reggie was really good only because he learned at the foot of a master. He was almost as bad as Sirius. Remember when Reggie rigged the exploding snaps under the bleaches of the Gryffindors. He almost got expelled."

"Sirius wouldn't let James retaliate against his brother," smiled Narcissa.

Scorpius looked away from his grandmother and aunt. Narcissa glared at him. "Scorpius, why aren't you looking at me?"

"Nothing."

"Scorpius."

"There's no need to worry, Grandmother. I'd never do anything like that."

Neville shook his head. "Scorpius, you should tell her about the Slytherin Common Room. It's best that she knows," he said.

"There's no need to," said Scorpius. "Hey, look there's cake. I'm famished." Narcissa has grabbed Scorpius by the collar. "I'm not going anywhere."

"What did you do?" hissed Narcissa in an icy tone.

Fred exclaimed, "For Merlin's sake, tell her!" Other people looked alarmed as Albus stepped back.

Scorpius faced his grandmother and she gave him an expectant look. "First off, I didn't do anything wrong. They started it," he stated. "One night, all of my housemates got mad at me and tried to jump me. One thing and another happened and they ended up wrecking the common room. Not me, them. Please stop looking me like that, Grandmother, you're scaring me."

"Go on," prompted Narcissa as she put her arms over her chest. "I feel that there is more."

"Everything turned out okay. I mean the common room wasn't worse for wear and Professor McGonagall couldn't prove I had anything to do with that. There were no real victims in it. I mean I did them a favor. There were these two horrid tables with pretentious scrolling on that were destroyed."

"Those were donated as gifts by the Black family," said Andromeda.

"Oh…did I say horrid? I meant lovely antiques," said Scorpius quickly.

"Antiques? They were given to the school right when I graduated," said Narcissa.

Scorpius winced. "Really? I mean they looked almost brand new," he said. His voice half dropped off. He muttered under his breath, "It's not as bad as when I got Tate fired."

"Tate?" asked Narcissa. This got all the kids attention and Neville looked at Scorpius. "You mean that Potions Master that was fired your third year? The one that everyone said came into the Great Hall during dinner intoxicated?" She looked at Scorpius who wouldn't look her in the eye. She had something else up her sleeve. She tried to probe his mind. Scorpius looked directly at her at this point. "Very good job, Harry. He's blocking me, but that won't save you, Scorpius. What did you do?"

"I should probably tell you this in a room of witnesses where my well being will be certain," said Scorpius. "I may have played a few harmless pranks on Tate."

"A few?" voiced Neville.

"Dad said that sometimes the best way to get to some is psychologically," shrugged Scorpius.

"What did you do?" demanded Narcissa.

Scorpius grimaced. "You'll just get even madder, Grandmother. You don't need the stress."

Narcissa laughed, but it didn't have much humor in it. "Scorpius, I've dealt with your grandfather and your father, do you really think you can withhold information from me that I want to have?"

"Dad did it successfully for almost twenty years, so I think I have chance," replied Scorpius.

"Don't be cheeky," snapped Narcissa. "Tell me what you did to your professor."

"I can't remember every little thing I did," said Scorpius. He sighed, "Let's see. He said some terrible things about Dad and he kept making me redo my potions, even when I did it right. So, I used a potions textbook from the library and brewed some Balding Potion. I put a few drops in his hair tonic, which made his hair and moustache fall out. Then, I used a time release shrinking spell on his shoes. I emptied out all of the flasks in his office, but left the bottle in his quarters." Scorpius started counting off with his fingers. "Did I mention that he left us to freeze because we weren't earning enough house points? Yeah, I found ash in his fireplace so I put a locking spell on his desk in his quarters."

Rose said, "A time release shrinking spell?"

"Well, Weasley, it was better than a full on one because it made him think his feet were growing uncontrollably," said Scorpius.

"Is that it?" asked Narcissa.

Scorpius thought about it. "Wait…I also moved around his station in the class room. Tate was anal retentive, so I moved the desk around by inches. Hm, it does sound like a lot when you list it out. I may have gone too far. I didn't think though he'd crack in ten days like that. I would have given him at least a fortnight. Who knew that he had a psyche like an egg shell? I was disappointed."

There was a stunned silence. Neville groaned. "Scorpius, you set up Tate to get fired. Have you any remorse for what you did?"

"I may have killed his plants with alcohol, does that count?" asked Scorpius.

Neville seethed. The other children had never seen him so irritated before as his own daughter ducked behind her mother. "No," he replied. "It doesn't count. You could be expelled. I'm a teacher. I have to report this to the Headmistress."

"I know," sighed Scorpius. "But you won't."

"Tell me why I shouldn't?"

"Because you covered for me when the common room was destroyed, so you'd be in real trouble, too, Professor Longbottom."

Neville groaned again. "Congratulations, you truly are your father's son."

Rubbing her temple, Narcissa said, "Between your father and you, my life span has been cut twenty years."

"Really?" asked Scorpius. "I thought it would have been at the most ten." Narcissa glared at him. He threw up his hands up defensively, saying, "Sorry, it's your life span. It's up to you to figure out how much I've shortened it by."

There was some adoration in the eyes of fellow pranksters. Rose and the other goodie two shoes were stunned. Lily gave him a strange look as if seeing him again for the first time. Scorpius' grandmother was so very furious that her sister placed her hand on her shoulder. "Have you anything else to say?" she asked her grandson.

Scorpius looked at her and said, "I always thought that vein in Dad's forehead came from Lucius. I was wrong."

"SHUT UP YOU, FOOL!" groaned Teddy.

"I'm still talking, aren't I?" asked Scorpius. "I just can't stop."

"Go home. Now," ordered Narcissa in a chilling whisper. "Go straight to your room and do not play your violin or the piano."

Scorpius didn't need telling twice as he hustled out of there. He was very swift about leaving. The room was collectively stunned. "Oh, that infuriating child!" exclaimed Narcissa as soon as Scorpius had left. "I am so mad right now. What am I going to do with him?"

"Remember you love him very much," said Andromeda as she rubbed her sister's arms.

"Why couldn't he take after his mother?" moaned Narcissa. "No, he has to be like his father and give me migraines."

"Um…wasn't your son his dad?" asked Teddy.

Narcissa shook her head, "Yes, he was." She turned her attention to Albus. "I'm so sorry about this. I really am, Albus. I wish you a very happy birthday. I'm sorry that he ruined your birthday."

"No, it's all right, Mrs. Malfoy. This has been one of my most exciting birthdays ever," said Albus sincerely, trying very hard not to smile.

Narcissa had to make some plans. She left and returned to Manderlay. She went inside and waited a bit before sitting down with a piece of parchment paper and a quill. She started writing and then dispatched Artemis to make a delivery. She put down her quill only when she was satisfied for the time being. "Scorpius, please come down here," she called.

Scorpius came down promptly. "I'm sorry, Grandmother," he said. "I shouldn't have kept this from you."

"I honestly don't know what to do with you, Scorpius," she said without looking at him. "What would your father and mother have done?"

"I wouldn't have had the guts to do it when Dad was alive. I wouldn't have had to. Tate implied that my dad deserved it," answered Scorpius quietly. "I'd also be worried what my mum would have said if she found out. That look on her face when I did something bad was worse than when Dad would yell."

Narcissa was reminded of why she was there instead of her son. However, she couldn't let her grandson run about unchecked. "You need to learn that your actions have consequences."

"Tate needed to learn that, too."

Artemis returned with a letter attached to her leg. Narcissa pulled it off her talon and handed her a treat. She unrolled it and said, "For the duration of the summer, you will be doing chores without magic for me, your aunt, Mrs. Weasley, and Professor Longbottom."

"What?" asked Scorpius in an incredulous tone. "And they agreed to this?"

"Yes," confirmed Narcissa, holding the letter up. "I've asked them to send me a list of chores that need to be done. I'm adding it to mine."

"That's not too bad," said Scorpius. "I guess I deserve it."

"Also, your violin is mine and the piano will be locked," continued Narcissa as she started adding to the list.

At this Scorpius exclaimed, "What?! Why don't you just cut my arms off while you're at it?!" His voice rose. Narcissa looked at him like he was a yapping dog. It cut him off. "Yes, ma'am," he said in a calmer voice.

Narcissa concluded, "Now, go back to your room and get some rest. You've got some long days ahead of you. You'll be counting the days before you go back to school before this summer is over."

* * *

Author's Note: This chapter included one of my favorite parts of my trip. I lost all of my pictures from my vacation because of a corrupted SD card. I will assume that the wheel will still be turning well into the future. I also speak from experience about the annoying voice repeating the "mind the gap" stuff on the train.

Come now, did anyone honestly think that Scorpius' activities were too good to be kept a secret?

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	40. Part 40: The Tonks’ Attic

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Forty: The Tonks' Attic

Scorpius had to wake up early the following morning and have breakfast. The list was a good three feet long. His violin was surrendered to his grandmother. His grandmother was still mad at him and they ate breakfast in stony silence. On top of the list and the instruments being locked and taken away, Scorpius knew he couldn't talk to his friends for the rest of the summer.

"Make sure you put on the sun block potion," said Narcissa. "I don't want you getting sunburned while you're cleaning out the gutters."

"Yes, Grandmother," said Scorpius meekly as he slathered on the potion, especially on the back of his neck. He put on a pair of gloves and went outside.

"And try not to fall off the ladder," she called after him before sipping her tea.

Scorpius went and grabbed his father's ladder. He didn't even know why his father bothered having one since he had magic. His father used to use his wand to clear out the gutters. Scorpius wasn't looking forward to see what was in the gutters. His grandmother could have used her wand to clear it out in no time. He ruefully thought that must have been where his father got his sadistic side when it came to punishments.

He had to work fast because the sun was coming out soon and it would be unbearably hot. He set up the ladder and made sure it was secure before climbing up. He winced as he saw how much mud, leaves, and who knew what else was in there. He didn't like the smell either as he sighed and started to work.

After the gutters, he had to clean the bathrooms, and fix up the cellar, which had a lot of his things from when he was younger and his grandmother had some things as well. Scorpius was given instructions to re-organize it and to empty it partly out so that they could put more in it. Scorpius also had to go up into the attic. That was after lunch.

Normally, his grandmother would ask him what he wanted to eat for lunch. Scorpius wasn't consulted and just ate a sandwich with some soup. He did so without complaint and even finished it if only to make her happy. He didn't like her not talking to him.

He went up to the attic. It wasn't like the cellar. It was his parents' things. Scorpius knew that his mother's clothes couldn't be contained by the closet in the master suite. Her things were in trunks. Shoes and dresses all put away lovingly with lavender to keep the bugs away. There were albums and pictures of his maternal grandparents.

His Grandpapa and Grandmama both had died before he was born. He didn't get to know them just like any of his children wouldn't get to know their grandparents. It was too sad to look at, so he put it away after dusting the boxes and trunks. On the other side, he found his dad's things.

Scorpius had never gone through them. He was sure that he had seen most of the things that his mum had had. His dad was the man with the secrets. He opened an old trunk that must have been his dad's while he was at school. Inside, he found photographs, strange ones frozen in time. He looked through them and saw on the back in his dad's handwriting. These were his dad's Muggle friends.

His dad had some old uniforms from Hogwarts that were tucked away and somewhat wrinkled. Scorpius began to notice that his dad put more care in the things that he cared about, but the things that didn't matter to him he was more hapless about it. Scorpius saw the old spell books stacked and collecting dust. There was something else he didn't expect to find, an old guitar case.

Scorpius opened it and found a beautiful guitar. He gasped. His dad never mentioned knowing how to play. There were some guitar picks and some sheets of music. Scorpius ran his nail over the strings and heard the chords. He gingerly picked it up as if he was holding a delicate thing. He shook a bit as he picked up one of the picks. He didn't even know how to play.

Scorpius felt a surge of anger at his dad. His dad taught him how to play the piano, but not the guitar. He put it away and started to clean up the attic, steering clear of his dad's things for the rest of the time. He ended up covering it up in his dad's things in a tarp before going back downstairs. He was completely exhausted as he sank into his bed.

"Scorpius, you need to get outside and weed the lilies," said Narcissa.

Scorpius groaned. He sat up and trudged back downstairs. He should have taken a nap in the attic at least he would have had some rest. Narcissa had the gardening tools ready for him. He didn't say a word as he took them from her and went outside. By then, the sun was high in the sky and it was too hot. He was happy that there was some shade left.

Scorpius dug through the dirty, yanking out the weeds with ferocity that he almost ended up pulling one of his mother's plants. He stopped himself as he remembered something.

_"Scorpius! Stop!" shouted his dad. Scorpius looked up at him with big grey eyes and pouted at him. "You are not to uproot your mother's lilies."_

_"I want one, Daddy," Scorpius told him with a pout._

_His dad stooped down. Scorpius was all but four years old. "Why do you want one?" _

_"I want one," repeated Scorpius as he looked at the lilies._

_His father sighed and took out his wand. "Just pick the one you want and I'll cut it for you. You can't take an entire plant."_

_Scorpius looked around the sea of lilies. Some of the plants were taller than him. He went behind a bunch of them as his dad stood up straight. His dad watched him as he looked around. He was looking for the perfect one, if he wasn't allowed to take an entire plant. "It's getting dark out here, Sweetheart. Just find one. Anyone will do," his dad said._

_"No," said Scorpius as he looked around some more. He pouted again, but in frustration as his father watched him. He wasn't going to be rushed. He found one. It was a small one that had just barely opened up. He called out, "I found it, Daddy! I want this one!"_

_"I'm right here, Score," said his father as he went down to cut it with his wand and hand it to his son. "Why did you want one?"_

_Scorpius heard the sound of his mother coming home. He ran passed his father and into the house. His father had little choice, but to follow him. "Mummy! You're home!" exclaimed Scorpius joyously. He hadn't seen her for three whole hours. He raced up to her. "I got this for you, Mummy." He presented the lily to her._

_His mother's face lit up at the sight of it. "For me? Really?" asked his mother. "It's beautiful." Scorpius got a hug from his mum who lifted him up. She spotted his dad coming in._

_"So that's why you wanted a lily so badly?" asked his dad with a chuckle. "You're stealing my moves, mate."_

_His mum laughed. "I think our son will be quite the charmer when he's older. The girls will love him," she told his dad. His dad smirked a bit as he got to her and kissed her. Scorpius gave him an expectant look and his dad gave him a kiss, too._

Scorpius looked at the lilies. He looked at them. His mother loved them and took care of them just like she had done with him_._ Like him, they were the living things she had left behind. Scorpius pulled off the gardening glove and touched one of the soft petals. It wasn't like touching her things in her room. It was more connected to her than any of her jewelry, dresses, and even the bed she had slept in. His eyes were watery and he blinked them away. He thought he was done with crying for no reason. He had to pull up his shirt and wipe his face.

Narcissa saw from the kitchen sink what he was doing. She watched him and could see a bit of the scar. He pulled down his shirt and put the glove back on. He finished up and went back inside. "I'm going to take a shower," he told her as he wiped his trainers on the rug before coming completely inside.

"It must be hot out there," she said. "You must have been wiping the sweat from your eyes."

"Yeah, something like that."

Narcissa added, "If you would like to write your friends, you may. You just can't go and see them, while you're on punishment."

"All right. Thank you, Grandmother."

***

Scorpius' summer had deteriorated. It came down to him being happy to see Gandy. The snow owl was still trying to get Artemis' attention, who wasn't interested. It was a letter from Albus with a hopeful invitation to meet with him to go shopping for school supplies at Diagon Alley. Scorpius decided to broach the subject to his grandmother who could say no and pick them up for him.

Scorpius' dad had never to mete out such punishment. Scorpius didn't say how planning Tate's termination had sustained him those dark days after his parents had just died. It had distracted him and almost forgot about the physical pain he was in. That was the real reason. At the time there wasn't anyone to talk to. He felt isolated.

Scorpius went to work at his aunt's house. Teddy had the afternoon off and came over to help him sort through the attic and the cellar. Andromeda didn't object and she wasn't going to tell her sister. She thought that Narcissa was being a trifle bit harsh on Scorpius, and she could swear that her sister was channeling their dead parents when she came up with the punishment.

"Why'd you do it?" asked Teddy. "Tate was a horrible teach and a pompous arse, but why? You've had to put up with worse."

Scorpius was looking through some old Muggle records. It was then that he slow explained what had driven him to do it. Teddy listened without interruption. "The only remorse I truly have is that it came down to that," he concluded.

"Score, you could have written me. I know we weren't that close the, but I am here for you," said Teddy. He then asked, "What about your common room?"

"No one in Slytherin likes me. They never have," said Scorpius. "That's why I make it a point to make sure that they never win the house cup as long as I'm there. What happened was an accident. The shield that Dad put on me activated, so you could say that it was his doing."

"Neville's almost as mad at you as your grandmother. He said to Harry that you had far more excess energy than he thought."

"That does explain that section of the list," said Scorpius, pulling it out. He referred to it. "Extra lessons," he read with a wince.

"Neville is so mild tempered. I feel sorry for you, mate." Teddy gave him a pat on the shoulder. "He did train some of the Aurors hard. He didn't like what that made him, and that's why he became a teacher."

"He's still isn't as scary as Mr. Potter."

"Harry's not scary. You two have a lot in common. More than most people know."

"Are you implying that I'm scary?"

"Didn't use to think so, but yeah, you kind of are. You are like your dad. You go around doing something without telling anyone."

"Yeah, I seem to have a knack for it."

"Look, I'm always around to help you make. Just give me the surnames of the people who are bothering you and I'll take care of it."

Scorpius didn't like the subtle menacing tone that Teddy used. "No, I'm not giving you anyone's name. Would you do this for Harry's kids?"

"That's the point. There's not a lot of our family left. And you're right I would not do it for James or Albus. Maybe Lily, but not for them. For you definitely."

"You've got more Black in you than I thought," said Scorpius. Teddy chuckled. Then some dust came and he sneezed, which made his hair change color from blue spikes to yellow. "Bless you." He had a book in his hands.

"That's my gran's wedding album," said Teddy.

"Really? My grandmother couldn't go because they eloped. I want to see," said Scorpius.

Scorpius and Teddy sat down. The pictures reminded Scorpius of his aunt and uncle's wedding. A thought invaded his thoughts at the mention of Lily. "How did you know you liked Victoire?" he asked Teddy.

"My friends told me," replied Teddy. His eyes flickered and changed from hazel to blue. "Is there someone you like?"

"I don't know. I know she likes me."

"Finally a normal teenage problem, Score. Lay it on me, mate."

Scorpius nearly choked at Teddy's enthusiasm. "It's nothing really," he said.

"It always starts at nothing."

"You see I didn't even notice her as a girl. I mean I know she's a girl."

"A friend?"

"No."

"Who is she then?"

"I'd rather not say. She took me by surprise," replied Scorpius, feeling flushed. He was getting pink about the ears.

Teddy watched, "How did she take you by surprise?"

"She kissed me."

"Oh, your first kiss I'd imagine." Teddy's features changed from smug to utter surprise. "Wait…Lily kissed you?"

Scorpius nearly jumped out of his skin. "How'd you figure it out?"

"Because I know," stated Teddy. "I'm an Auror. I'm supposed to notice things."

"Victoire told you, didn't she?" asked Scorpius. "She's watching us the same way that Roxanne is."

"Okay, okay, she told me that Lily liked you. There was no mention of any snogging."

Scorpius turned beet red. "One kiss isn't snogging!" he exclaimed.

Teddy peered at him. "Did you like it?"

"I don't know."

Teddy leaned in even closer. "You liked it," he concluded.

Scorpius got up. "Aren't you going to something to me?"

Teddy got to his feet and dusted off his jeans. "Why do you need me to do something?"

"This is a mess. I tried talking to her and make her see that I'm not the right boy for her. She got mad."

"Of course, she did, Scoprius," sighed Teddy. "She's a Weasley like her mother. First lesson, don't ever tell them they are wrong on a subjective subject. What did you really tell her?" Scorpius told him. Teddy smacked his own forehead. "Okay, she's right. You really shouldn't put yourself down."

"She doesn't know everything. How damaged I am. And then there's the history with her dad and my dad and the Weasleys and the Malfoys. That didn't make any difference to her."

"Doubt it would. Lily is stubborn. She has to be to put up with her brothers."

"That's the other thing. She's got a big family. An army of cousins. I swear their family was the army of the winning side during the war."

"There aren't that many," laughed Teddy.

There was something else that troubled Scorpius. "I just don't want her to settle on me," he said as he ran his hand over his shirt where his scar was. "I might not have a future."

Sometimes Teddy forgot the burden that Scorpius carried. He handled it without saying much. "Even if I knew how I felt about her, I can't do much about it. And she's still two years younger than me and not even a teenager. I turn fifteen in less than six months. It's just a bad idea."

"True. You've got excellent points. But girls mature faster than boys, so I suppose this may or may not work against you. By the time you're sorted out, it just might be right."

"So I should just put her off?"

"This is interesting. If you didn't like her just a wee bit, you wouldn't care if her feelings are hurt or not."

"It's just that she's Al's sister. I'll her when I see him, so I don't want her to hate me. I'd like to have one of Al's siblings like me."

"She already does. I mean she's made up her mind. Her mother dated a bit, but her father was always her first choice."

Scorpius groaned. "Girls, I'll never understand them."

Teddy burst out laughing. "Hate to break it to you, Score, but it doesn't get any easier."

* * *

Author's Note: I had to split this chapter from another because it was getting very long, so this one is going to be shorter. I wanted to put in the memory of the lilies in this chapter. There are so many memories I wanted to incorporate into the story, so I put up another story called, "Memory Vials." It's a companion piece that's going to be short stories. It is about Draco and Astoria and the beginning of their family.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	41. Part 41: Outside of Knockturn Alley

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Forty-One: Outside of Knockturn Alley

It was almost the end of August when Scorpius got to through to the last third of the list. He carried it to check it off as he went. He went to the Leaky Cauldron to report for duty. The first afternoon was the easiest because he had to baby sit Ally for a few hours.

Ally had latched onto Scorpius like a little sister. Scorpius had some experience dealing with little girls. Ally put Scorpius through the paces, making him chase her. While watching them, Neville's considerable anger had dissipated. Scorpius didn't complain and was a hard worker. Ally had taken to following him like a duckling. In exchange, Neville let him use the piano in the Leaky Cauldron's pub. Scorpius even tuned it before play. Ally sat on his lap as he played, "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" for her.

Neville remembered that Scorpius had lost his little cousins, who were around the same age as Ally. Scorpius had more patience with Ally than either the Potters' kids or the Weasleys'. "Hey Score!" called out Albus as he came in. "Uncle Neville. Ally."

"Hello Al," greeted Neville with an affectionate grin at his godson.

Scorpius had stopped playing and Ally hopped off his lap. "Hey, Al," he said. He knew that Albus was pretty fast on his feet.

"So, your grandmother let you out," said Al.

"Not really," said Scorpius. "I'm under supervised work release." The Potters and Weasleys filed in. "Hello everyone," he greeted with a wave.

"Hey, mate, we thought you were a goner," said Fred.

"No, just very tired," said Scorpius. "I've been up early for the last ten days."

"Al's been worried," Fred informed him.

"So were you!" exclaimed Al.

James and Louis were there. They had to different expressions. James looked annoyed while Louis had a look of admiration. Lily shyly smiled. "We've come to spring you," said Fred. "We need to get supplies together and so do you."

Scorpius looked at Neville, throwing him a hopeful glance. "Please," he added as he earnestly clasped his hands in front of him.

"I suppose so," relented Neville.

"I've got no money," said Scorpius. "We'll have to go to the bank."

"My dad's there anyway," said Louis.

With that, they trooped to the bank. Fred and Roxanne along with Louis peppered Scorpius with questions. They had come along because their parents were busy. Ginny was going to join them later, but she had a deadline to make. Harry was there to supervise his kids, nieces, and nephews, but to make sure that Scorpius was safe. Neville with Ally in tow joined them.

Ron with Hugo and Rose showed up half way towards the bank. The girls got together and started chatting, while Hugo was talking with the others about Scorpius' exploit and punishment. It was hard to be proud of something that Scorpius didn't feel was a very big deal. It was just something that had to be done.

Scorpius didn't feel like talking about Tate. "What else have you been up to?" asked Albus.

"Grandmother is still mad. I get one teacher fired and she thinks I'm out of control," moaned Scorpius.

"Sounds pretty bad. She must have been yelling at you when she got home."

"No. She did that scary thing where she doesn't yell. She just made this list," said Scorpius as he pulled out the roll of parchment. "She took contributions from her sister, your grandmother, and Professor Longbottom." He let it roll out.

Harry started laughing at this point. "That's three feet of parchment," he said.

"That's not the worst of it," sighed Scorpius.

Albus asked, "What more could she have done to you?"

"She took my violin away and looked the piano," answered Scorpius sadly.

Albus sympathetically said, "Why didn't she just cut off your hands? That might have been nicer."

"That's what I said," said Scorpius. "On my first day, I did the rain gutters, cleaned the cellar and the attic, and weeded my mum's garden. I'm wondering how Dad survived his childhood."

"Your father was spoiled," said Harry.

"No, that was Lucius. If I could get along with the old man, he might have talked her down."

"She's like my gran," said Neville. "It's best for you to ride it out."

"Your gran's mean," said Ally.

Scorpius shook his head and smiled. "No, I'm more difficult than she assumed I would be. I don't like to make things too easy on her."

"You shouldn't sound so proud of yourself," chided Neville as he shook his head. "By the way, the extra lessons I was referring to were for Herbology. You did get some practice in when you weeded your mother's flowers."

Lily who had been quietly observing for most of the time, it was hard to show any kind of feeling with all of the males in her immediately family present, asked, "What kind of flowers did you mother have?"

"Lilies," replied Scorpius, not quite looking her in the eye. "She loved lilies. My dad got a bunch of them for her before they moved to Manderlay. She planted them after I was born. I learned how to weed a garden from her."

They stopped at the bank and Harry accompanied Scorpius inside. Because of the events that had taken place, Narcissa thought it best to consider the future in case anything should happen. Andromeda was first in line, followed by Teddy. Harry and Neville were also on the list of people who could accompany Scorpius into the bank. Harry saw something on the ledger that struck him as a little odd.

There were only minor withdrawals, most of them were around the end of August, but there was a big one around last Christmas, a very large withdrawal. Bill also treated Scorpius as he would any adult client and there was more than just a little respect he showed towards him. Scorpius only took just enough for supplies and they were on their way. Whatever the reason Harry wasn't going to pry regarding the large withdrawal, he thought it best to give Scorpius some privacy.

They eventually returned with the group and they decided to split up. Neville decided to go with the girls to get supplies because Ally was with him. He was good natured enough to be the only man with a group of girls. James and Louis decided that they wanted to go off on their own, and Harry let them. Scorpius didn't ask why Harry and Ron had to come with them and why he couldn't wander around Diagon Alley alone. He understood why.

They gathered their supplies, stopping first for uniforms. They stopped to gawk at the broomsticks at the Quidditch shops, even though none of them were at the caliber of Scorpius' broom. They turned into a blind alley. "That's Knockturn Alley. We're not supposed to go there," said Scorpius, but Fred looked itching to go.

"Aw…come on, your dad must have taken you loads of times," said Fred.

"No," said Scorpius. "My dad never took me there. He said I wasn't allowed to and if he ever caught him even thinking about going in there, he'd make sure I'd never even remember there was a Diagon Alley."

"Your dad used to go down there with his father. They used to go there together as a father-son activity," said Ron.

"That explains why Dad wouldn't let me go there," said Scorpius with a shrug. "One of Dad's rules was never listen to my grandfather. You can imagine how much that irritated Lucius."

"We're definitely not going down there," said Harry, more to Fred than Albus and Scorpius. "There's nothing of interest for you down there."

"Didn't you, Uncle Ron, and Aunt Hermione go down there before?" asked Albus.

Ron and Harry glanced at each other and after a moment they said in unison, "No."

"You both are terrible liars," said Scorpius with a laugh as he shook his head. He would have said more, but the smile faded from his face as he saw someone he hadn't expected to see. He tensed up very quickly as Harry and Ron both moved their hands to their wands.

"What's wrong?" asked Albus as he and Fred saw who Scorpius had seen. "Who's that?"

"Lucius Malfoy," answered Ron.

"That's your grandfather?" asked Fred. Neither he nor Albus had ever seen him before. "He's coming out of Knockturn Alley."

"Figures," muttered Scorpius. "Probably hiding more assets from my grandmother, they've got a lot of assets between the two of them. He thinks he has a right to the Black properties, but he doesn't. He's only married into the family. They rightfully belong to my grandmother, aunt, Teddy, and me. Even though Aunt Andi was written out of the will ages ago, my grandmother is making sure she gets her share of their parents' properties."

"What kind of family do you have, taking each other to court and disowning each other?" asked Albus.

"Not much of one," replied Scorpius. "I suppose in the end my dad was more my grandmother's son than my grandfather's. More Black than Malfoy."

"Good for him. Most of the Blacks I know are good people," said Harry. He put his hand on Scorpius' shoulder, thinking it would be best to get him away from Lucius for the time being. However, it was too late because Lucius had spotted them.

To think after weeks of trying to get to the man, he'd come straight up to them. Scorpius didn't look down. Instead, he held his head high and looked at Lucius in the eye in the same unflinching manner he did with adults who he didn't respect. "Hello Lucius," he said in a controlled voice.

"Scorpius," nodded Lucius. "I see you are well."

"Quite, Sir, but you already knew that. Grandmother probably told you even if you didn't care to hear it."

"Well, Potter, I see you have child here as well," said Lucius as he looked at Albus.

Scorpius stepped between them. "We have to get going," he said, wanting nothing more, but to get away from Lucius. He felt a sharp pain from his scar. "We have books to buy. I need to get a new one for my Muggle Studies class. I'm top of my class."

Lucius' face contorted into a scowl that sent shivers down Albus and Fred. Ron almost laughed. Harry intervened, "Then we best get going, Scorpius."

Lucius said in a deceptively calm voice, "Scorpius, your grandmother will get everything she deserves."

Scorpius pulled away from Harry's guiding hand. "What's that supposed to mean, old man?" he demanded. He paled even more in rage. "Don't you hurt her! I swear I'll take you down myself!"

Lucius didn't give an answer and turned on his heel and started to walk away. He added, "Potter, you won't find out who murdered my son from me. I told you enough already." His grey eyes regarded his grandson as mere annoyance and a small child. He flounced away without another glance back.

Scorpius was practically shaking. Harry said in a quiet voice, "Let him go, Scorpius." He saw Scorpius' hand over his scar. "Are you all right?"

"It's throbbing," murmured Scorpius. "It hurts."

"The sooner we get away from Knockturn Alley, the better you'll feel," urged Ron. "Relax, Scorpius. Loosen your grip, you'll bleed."

Scorpius hadn't realized that his left hand was in a tight fist, but his fingers were curled into his palm and his nails were cutting into his palm. He released his fingers just before he broke the skin. He didn't realize how angry he was. Albus and Fred looked a little shaken, too. "To Flourish and Blotts, then?" said Harry. There was a silent agreement and they made their way over there.

The girls were already there and so was Ginny, who had relieved Neville. He was in the children's section with Ally. Scorpius followed the others into the shop. "Are you sure you're okay?" pressed Albus.

"If you ask me that again, Albus, I'm going to hit you," muttered Scorpius.

"Okay, just checking," said Albus as he saw the curious looks they were giving them. Scorpius separated from them and started to gather up his books by himself. He didn't feel like talking. James and Louis joined them shortly.

"What happened?" asked Roxanne.

"Lucius Malfoy was here," replied Fred. He told her, Lily, Rose, and Hugo about how the meeting had gone. He concluded, "I've never seen Scorpius so mad. He was just like his grandmother, but I don't blame him. How could Malfoy threatened his own wife and tell his grandson that? He's despicable and slimy. I feel bad for Scorpius and his grandmother."

"I've never heard you use such a big word before to describe anyone, Fred," pointed out Rose. "He must be terrible if you're calling him despicable."

"Pretty awful," agreed Albus. "You don't know the half of it. You don't know why Lucius Malfoy hates his own grandson."

"What did he do to him?" asked Fred. "That's the bit I don't understand. Scorpius looked like he was in pain. Like his grandfather hexed him or something, but no one drew a wand. At least not what I could see."

"He didn't hex him," said Albus. He knew what had caused Scorpius' to react in physical pain, but he wasn't saying anything.

Meanwhile, Scorpius looked around for books and was gathering them. He stopped at the place where all the books for Muggle Studies were. He had a specific book to pick up, but he was looking for further reading material because the subject was his favorite. It was like learning a foreign language for him. He wasn't sure what he wanted to get. He didn't know which ones were any good or not.

"Scorpius Malfoy, is that you?" asked a familiar voice.

Scorpius turned around and saw his teacher. "Professor Chang? Hello. It's good to see you." He nodded.

"I'm not here as a teacher today, but I'm not surprised to find you here," said the Muggle Studies professor. "You are getting the assigned text for the class. I hope."

"I am," he assured her as he showed the book in his hand. "I'm just browsing."

"I think that you might be ready for some advanced or independent study," said Professor Chang. She saw someone coming up to them. She smiled and said, "Hello Harry."

"Cho?" asked Harry as he went up to them.

"Professor Chang was just showing me some extra reading I could do for her class," replied Scorpius.

Harry asked, "You're a teacher in Hogwarts?"

"I teach Muggle Studies, Harry. Scorpius is my best student," replied Professor Chang.

Scorpius' ears turned pinked at the praise. He wasn't used to any teacher praising him for something he was doing well on purpose. He didn't have to push as hard as he did for Herbology or any of his other classes. He didn't care about the other classes as much. "So what recommended reading would you assign him?" asked Harry.

A girl came up just then. She was pretty and wearing Muggle clothes. "Mum, can we finish up already and get home? Dad's supposed to be online soon," she said. She realized that she was interrupting a conversation that her mother was having. "Oh…blimey, you are Harry Potter. And Scorpius Malfoy. My name's Naomi Wellington."

Scorpius stiffened at the recognition as Harry jovially took it in stride. "Naomi, we'll be going soon," said her mother. "And don't stare at them. It's rude."

Naomi looked like her mother, but her hair was more of a dark brown and her eyes were blue with flecks of amber in them. They were the same almond shape as her mum's. She was a bit taller as well. She looked like she was a first or second year. "What year are you?" asked Harry.

"Second year, Mr. Potter," answered Naomi. "I was just reading about you in my books. It's such a trip to meet you in person. Do you know him, Mum?"

"You could say that," said Professor Chang in a cryptic way. Harry wasn't revealing anything either. She added, "Naomi, you're right. Your dad will be online soon and you don't want to miss him, do you?" She turned to Scorpius, "I'll owl you a list of further reading. See you next term."

"Nice to meet you both. Scorpius, I'll see you in school," said Naomi as she gave a small wave.

Mother and daughter went to pay for their things. Albus walked by them, but neither Scorpius nor Scorpius saw him take a look at Naomi as she breezed by. It was a moment of sudden awareness that he wasn't going to tell anyone about just yet. "Dad, everyone's almost ready to go," he informed his father.

"We're just about done here, son," said Harry.

"I never had a teacher tell me I was the best at something before," said Scorpius. Harry clapped his hand over his shoulder. He smiled at him. It was moment that Scorpius wished that it was his father doing it and not Harry. It was all right.

"Who was that?" asked Albus.

"Professor Chang. She's my Muggle Studies professor," answered Scorpius, "and her daughter."

"Her daughter? She goes to Hogwarts, too?" asked Albus.

"Yeah, Naomi's a second year or going to be. Same class as your sister," answered Scorpius.

Lily and James came up to them with Ginny. "Are we ready yet?" asked James. "We're waiting on you, Malfoy."

"Yeah, I'm ready," nodded Scorpius. Albus picked up some of the books for him and they went to go pay for it. Lily picked up the Herbology book that they had forgotten and walked along side them. Neville had met up with them and for a fleeting moment he saw the way that Scorpius and Lily walked together. She blushed when his hand brushed along hers, taking the book from her.

Neville looked to see if anyone else noticed and caught Ginny's eye. They exchanged a glance. Scorpius didn't noticed that he had touched Lily, but if he had he probably would have been blushing, too.

As they were getting out, Scorpius felt a sudden and familiar flash of lights. He barely had time to shield his eyes as Harry came up next to him. "Harry Potter and Scorpius Malfoy in one shot. I think the caption will read about passing the torch from one famous kid to another," said a voice.

"Braxton," muttered Harry in a low voice. Scorpius could tell without looking at him that Harry was more than a little irritated.

"Oh come now, Scorpius give us a little smile. You're quite a good looking lad," urged Braxton.

Scorpius covered his face instead. He stepped back almost stepping on Lily. "Sorry," he whispered as she grabbed his arm.

"Braxton shove off, you bloody git," said Ron. "Leave them alone."

"The boy's got an army of Aurors to protect him, both past and present," said Braxton as he continued to take pictures. "So Scorpius, you donated twenty million galleons to St. Mungo's and property from you aunt and uncle's estate. Quite a substantial contribution, but really not at all nothing considering you're worth fifty, not to mention the hundred million from dear old Gramps and Gran."

"Leave me alone!" spat Scorpius furiously. Lily tightened her grip on his arm. She was unconsciously doing what she had seen her mother do to her father under similar conditions. People had collectively gasped at the sheer amount of wealth that was tied to him. Lily felt her mother's fingers on her shoulder. She hadn't realized how closely she was standing to Scorpius.

"Braxton," said Harry in a low, dangerous voice that made his children tense up. "Back off or I'll arrest you on the spot."

"Potter, you're rather fond of the boy considering that you and Malfoy have tried to kill each other. You put him in the infirmary your sixth year."

"It wasn't intentionally," said Harry without looking at Scorpius.

"Enough of this," said Ginny. "Braxton, you were given enough warning from my husband and my brother."

"Mum don't!" exclaimed Albus as Ginny in a flash lifted her wand and sent bats flying at the photographer. Harry did only a slight gesture with his wrist, which popped open the back cover of camera, exposing the film. They all took off running.

* * *

Author's Note: I've been meaning to update. Sorry about the delays. I have been writing, but getting around to transcribing is a bit trickier than one would think. Thanks for the continuing support and reviews. The another short story will also go up for Memory Vials shortly.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	42. Part 42: The Longbottom Greenhouse

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Forty-Two: The Longbottom Greenhouse

Neville grabbed Scorpius by the wrist and quickly marched him out of there. He did so with Ally in his arm. Neville had done so quickly that Scorpius almost dragged Lily along. The whole group made a run for it to the closest sanctuary: the Leaky Cauldron.

"I can't believe your mum just did that," breathed Scorpius as he tried to catch his breath to Albus, when they got to the Leaky Cauldron.

"No one messes with us," laughed Albus.

"My mum just charmed people out of doing things like that," sighed Scorpius.

He saw all the people who had rushed with him. "I think next year I'll just order my school supplies," he mused. He said to Ginny. "Thank you, Mrs. Potter. You were brilliant."

"A hundred million galleons!" declared James. "Fifty million! Twenty million! You gave away twenty million galleons!" He gawked Scorpius in sheer amazement.

Scorpius had turned scarlet. "It's not like I need the money. What good is seventy million? It only cost me six of my loved ones," he said, feeling exhausted.

"Sit down," ordered Ginny. She told James, "Don't talk about the money."

"Great day I'm having. First I see Lucius and then that reporter. I hate my life," muttered Scorpius as he took a seat.

"Aw poor, Scorpie…can't handle a little bit of attention," mocked James.

"Shut it, James," snapped Lily. Her sudden outburst drew looks from the others. She turned red sat down, too.

"Why don't we have a bite, then you can play the piano for the rest of the afternoon, if you'd like?" interjected Hannah. She was rather fond of Scorpius at this point.

"I need to finish the list," said Scorpius wearily.

"Neville just sign it off," said Hannah to her husband.

Neville looked surprised at the sudden attention. He shrugged and said, "She's the boss," to Scorpius. He took the list and signed off the afternoon's chores. The rest of the afternoon went by more quickly than the first part of the day.

Later on, Neville decided to pay an unexpected visit to Manderlay and take Scorpius home. He was the one who told Narcissa about the day, even including Lucius. Scorpius hadn't told Neville exactly what had transpired between him and Lucius, but Fred told him. Narcissa looked somewhat bored at the veiled threat from Lucius against her. Scorpius said very little.

At the conclusion, Narcissa looked squarely at Scorpius, and said, "You must learn how to deal with the press, Scorpius."

"Why can't I deal with them the same way Dad did?"

"How did Draco deal with it? I barely saw his name in the press and other than his death and murder investigation, his name the last couple of years was a footnote to his wife's," said Neville.

"Exactly, Professor."

"Avoiding the press is something the Malfoys don't do. They have always, other than your father, use them to their advantage. Your grandfather is a master at it, even at the worst times," said Narcissa.

"He let the press attack you," said Scorprius angrily.

"He's also wearing down, Scorpius. He does love you even, if he doesn't show it."

"According to Harry, he knew that Draco was the Inquisitor. I have to ask you, Mrs. Malfoy, how could your husband know, but not you?" asked Neville gently.

Narcissa could feel Scorpius' curious eyes on her. They were so much like her son's. "Draco had his secrets. As he got older, I wanted to know. I asked what he had done the three years he was away. Until Harry told me that Draco was living as Muggle those three years, I didn't know. You have no idea how much it hurts to know how very little my son trusted me." Scorpius reached out and covered her hand. "Draco had the ability to completely segregate parts of his life. If Lucius knew, he kept it from me, too. I'll be sure to ask him the next time I see him."

Neville admired Narcissa for her calm courage. She was as formidable as his grandmother. Neville left after reminding Scorpius that they were going to do added lessons and practice.

***

Scorpius didn't like the special accommodations being made for him. Harry had gotten special clearance from his father-in-law to allow Scorpius the use of his wand, despite being under age. He didn't vocalize it though, so he took his new school supplies upstairs. He started going over the new text books and setting his potions supplies in order.

He came down for dinner, but heard some familiar voices. Teddy and his grandmother came over. Teddy frequently dined at the Potters. "How's the hard labor going?" he asked his cousin as a greeting.

Scoprius shrugged, "Not so bad."

Andromeda and Narcissa were in the kitchen. "So what do you think Lucius was up to at Knockturn Alley?" asked Andromeda as she used her wand to stir the pot.

"Most likely a little window shopping or getting rid of things," said Narcissa. "Scorpius had some words with him."

Teddy glanced at Scorpius. "What'd he say to you?"

Scorpius repeated the story. Andromeda shook her head. "Was he really the best you could have done, Cissy? You could have done better."

"Lucius wasn't always like that. It was everything: the Death Eaters, going to Azkaban, and after the war. Draco was busy with his work, and if Lucius really was keeping this Inquisitor business from me, heaven help him."

"Harry mentioned a run in with that bottom feeder Ramsey Braxton," said Teddy. "He and every other rag reporter want a piece of you, Score."

"Mrs. Potter hexed him," grinned Scorpius.

"You haven't read the articles about you, have you?" asked Teddy.

"Why would I?" asked Scorpius with a groan. "How many are there?"

"Loads of them. I mean it's pretty common knowledge that your birthday's on Christmas, and that you're in Slytherin," said Teddy.

Scorpius scowled at this. "Why can't they just leave me alone?" he asked. "It's not like they care before."

"You are nearly as famous as Harry," said Teddy, but he said it sympathetically. "You just have to get used to it."

"That's what I've been telling him," said Narcissa.

Scorpius remained in a funk throughout dinner and it wasn't until dinner did he relax a bit. It was nice having family over and having company over in general. Scorpius realized that the summer had been harsh, but he got through it because of everyone helping him. He wanted to show his appreciation, and he was going to think about it some more.

Scorpius was supremely bored during his punishment. He was lucky that his grandmother hadn't taken his books away. He still had to finish his time with Professor Longbottom, then go to the Burrow for the last bit. Mrs. Weasley part of the list was the shortest.

Scorpius still had a hard time sleeping at night. When the nightmares were too much, he found that his parents' room and their bed most comforting. He remembered climbing into their bed on the nights that his dad was away. It wasn't exactly the same. His mum's heartbeat, which he felt heard and felt, was gone. He could still smell her perfume and his dad's aftershave.

Scorpius hadn't been told to organize their bedroom. It was still in the same state it was almost two as if they were coming home anytime soon. Scorpius explored the closet again. He found a leather jacket that his dad wore all the time. He put it on. It was still a bit big on him. Scorpius still had some growing to do. He was going to take the jacket anyway. It was his. It would come in handy once the weather cooled.

He put it on the edge of the bed and went to sleep. When he awoke again, it was almost dawn. He picked up the jacket and went back to his room to get ready for the day.

Scorpius found his grandmother up early as well. He saw her going over some paper work. "Has Lucius signed the papers yet?" he asked.

"We are barely getting there. It may take another forty years to finish," answered Narcissa.

"He can have his dark, creepy things, Grandmother," said Scorpius.

"Half of those dark, creepy tings are rightfully mine, dear. There's also Black Manor. He wants half of it."

"But Black Manor belongs to you."

"And so does Malfoy Manor."

"Can't you both agree to keep what you cam in with and split half of what you had together?"

"I'm not dividing you in half, Scorpius."

"If you're worried about my inheritance from him, I don't care. I've got more money than I need and I'll work when I'm grown up."

"All my life, almost all of it, I have had to bend or yield to that man. I will not do it this time. Your father wouldn't want me to."

"And Mr. Potter and Professor Longbottom wonder why I'm so stubborn."

"Your mother preferred the word determined."

Scorpius got up. He kissed his grandmother. "Have it your way then, Grandmother," he said. "I'm off to see Professor Longbottom."

"Be good."

"I will."

Scorpius came out of the Leaky Cauldron's fireplace. Ally was allowed to sleep in. Hannah was serving tea to some patrons. She waved and smiled at him. Some of the patrons got used to seeing Scorpius around, so they waved and smiled as well. Hannah motioned that Neville was in the back office. Hannah nodded, but she had to dash to the next table.

Before Scorpius could open or knock on the door, it opened. He knew that it was Neville's sneakoscope. Neville was at the desk doing some work. "Today, we need to check up your progress in your DADA," he said.

"Is this because of my run in with Lucius?" asked Scorpius.

"No, I was planning on doing this anyway," replied Neville. "Did you get any sleep last night? You look tired."

"As much as I can," replied Scorpius. "By the way, who allowed me to use my wand from the Ministry? I thought the rules on underage magic were pretty strict."

"Arthur Weasley pulled some strings. It was probably to irk Lucius, but we need to see your progress," replied Neville.

"I don't like the fuss, Professor," said Scorpius. "All these special permission and I'm not special. I'm just a survivor."

"We'd like to keep you that way," said Neville.

"I hate the attention. The reporters, the photographers, and the staring."

"Did you discuss this with Harry? If anyone understands, it's him."

"No, not really. Mr. Potter's done a lot already. He's having to make all these arrangements around me. Besides, I see you more often, Professor."

"You maybe one of the few people in the world that prefer me over Harry," chuckled Neville.

"You're easier to talk to," said Scorpius. "So what are you going to do?"

"Let's start with the starter drills and work our way up," replied Neville as he stood up. "We're going to Langford Hills. That's the Longbottom Estate. It's been cleared as one of the safe places for you. I put up the wards myself. They are comparable to the ones that the Potters and your father use."

They left through the fireplace and ended up there. As they went through the house to get to the greenhouse, Scorpius studied his surroundings, like Malfoy Manor, there were several old pieces of furniture. The paintings hung on the wall, showing many generations of Longbottoms. Scorpius saw a picture of Professor Longbottom's parents. Ally didn't mention them much, only that she visited them at St. Mungo's during the holidays.

"Those are my parents," confirmed Neville, following Scorpius' line of vision.

Scorpius could hear it in his voice that there was more. "What happened to them?"

"During the first war with Voldemort, my parents were captured and tortured by Death Eaters until they went mad," Neville told Scorpius without hesitation. "One of those Death Eaters was your grandmother's sister."

Scorpius eyes widened and he looked down on the floor. The look on his face was shame. "I'm sorry," he said.

"That was a generation ago, Scorpius," Neville told him gently. He placed his hand on his shoulder. "You are different and so was your dad. He was a good man."

"Even though he bullied and teased you."

"We were kids, Scorpius. Kids do a lot of foolish things that they later regret. One year, I lost an entire list of passwords and got into hot water for it. My gran sent me a howler and I was banned from going to Hogsmeade for the duration of the year."

"My dad said the stupidest thing he had ever done was listen to my grandfather and believing everything he said as a fact."

"Parents lie sometimes without intending to."

"You didn't hear Lucius threaten my grandmother. She doesn't tell me what happens when she meets with him and the lawyers. I just want him to go away."

"My grandfather was killed in front of me," revealed Neville. "Death Eaters."

"Oh," whispered Scorpius. Then he quickly said, "I don't want Lucius dead." He sounded a bit distressed. "I couldn't take losing another member of my family, even him. He's still my grandfather, even if he wished I had died when my parents died."

"You are a good person, Scorpius," said Neville.

"I'd even forgive him if he wasn't such an evil git. I guess I take after my mum. My dad wouldn't."

They didn't talk anymore until they got to the got to the greenhouse. "Do you want to practice your Occlumency? Harry says you've made some progress?" asked Neville. "We'll start with the starter drills."

"Can we wait and see first, Professor?" asked Scorpius.

"Sure."

Scorpius was able to do the spells from the simple disarming spell all the way to a good bat hex spell. The last spell was the hardest: conjuring a patronus.

"Expecto Patronum!" he chanted forcefully. This time he focused on not a memory, but a piece of music in his head. This time a silvery figure shot out of the tip of his wand. It was a weak one and he wasn't thrilled with it.

"Excellent progress," praised Neville.

"But it's not corporeal," sighed Scorpius.

"Don't be too hard on yourself," said Neville.

"You can't even tell what it is," said Scorpius.

Neville's patronus had changed over the years. It was now a lion. Harry's was still a stag. Scorpius wasn't paying close enough attention to the silvery figure. Neville could see that it had wings. He could easily hazard a guess as to what Scorpius' patronus was. He smiled a little. He had a feeling that was exactly what Scorpius' patronus was going to be.

"Now, do you want to do your Occlumency?"

"It's bound to be better than that pathetic patronus," agreed Scorpius. He either was too comfortable with Professor Longbottom, overestimated his abilities, or just forgot about concealing some of his memories from the Professor. They got on with it without Scorpius pulling out his memories.

Neville didn't know what to expect. He was able to see some of Scorpius' memories. The most horrific ones were on the surface. It was almost too much for him to see. Then, he saw more pleasant memories. One in particular flashed into Neville's mind. He was rather shocked when he saw it. Scorpius had cut him off in time.

They both were out of breath. "What did you see?" asked Scorpius.

"I'll tell you what I didn't see: you kissing Lily Potter," replied Neville with a grin.

Scorpius groaned. "Great, you're going to tell her dad, aren't you?"

"No, of course not," answered Neville very quickly. Scorpius was turning red. "I was wondering why she was so quick to defend you back at the Leaky Cauldron. So, you fancy her?"

"I don't know," said Scorpius sincerely. "Teddy and I talked about this. She's a bit young for me."

"She is," agreed Neville. "Look, I'm not going to go around telling you advice about girls. I barely know enough myself."

"You're married and you have a daughter," pointed out Scorpius. "You're up to your ears in girls."

"And I still don't know one thing about them," chuckled Neville. "I'm hoping to figure out something as I watch Ally grow up. She's already doing things that I don't quite understand and she's five."

"I wish my dad was around to ask," sighed Scorpius. "Although I think he wouldn't be thrilled about this."

"I say we deal with it later on when you're both older," suggested Neville. "'I've watched her grow up. I did notice how she held onto you at the bookstore to keep you from doing anything stupid. I say it's a good thing. You have a right to have one normal thing in your life."

Scorpius almost laughed at that. He was constantly reminded that he didn't have a normal life. Not since his parents had died. "I think that one of the best things my dad ever did was pick you, Professor."

"Thanks," said Neville. "Now, enough break time, we've got loads more to do. We'll run through the drills again from start to finish and this time I want you to block me better on the Occlumency."

"Wait, this counted as my break?"

"Yes," laughed Neville.

His grandmother didn't give him additional chores after seeing how dirty and somewhat bruised he was, when he returned home. She insisted that he take a bath and put some bruise paste on, then come back down for dinner. He did just that and ate dinner. They had a pleasant conversation about the Longbottoms' house. After dinner, because Scorpius didn't have any instruments to play, he had nothing to do, but clean up after dinner. He went to his room and simply read and went to sleep.

* * *

Author's Note: I've got some more transcribing to do about two or three chapters' worth of writing to get down on the page. I write a little bit each day as a rule and to maintain some kind of sanity at work.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	43. Part 43: Memory Lane

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Forty-Three: Memory Lane

_It all happened so quickly. Draco could see the flash of green light and he fell. He had stopped paying attention at that point. He probably would have stayed and let the Aurors take him, if his head of house hadn't pulled him out. "Keep moving, Draco!" urged his aunt in a sharp voice._

_Draco thought he was moving fast enough. He wanted to get away from the lot of them. He hadn't said a word since he had spoke to the headmaster. He was sick to his stomach. He felt it in his mouth. _

_"Don't be utterly useless," berated his aunt. "You failed in your mission. You had to have someone else do it for you! You pathetic child!"_

_Draco was almost seventeen. He was more an adult than a child. He didn't argue her point; all he wanted was to go home and be with his mother. _

_"Bellatrix, why don't you go and give your report?" a calm voice interrupted._

_"I don't take orders from you!" snarled Bellatrix. "You robbed my nephew of his honor!"_

_He peered at her. She glared at him. Draco wished they would finish each other off. "You are not concerned about Draco's honor. You are more concerned on how this reflects upon you. Now leave us."_

_Draco didn't know who he wanted to go away. Bellatrix left in a huff. Draco kept his line of vision on the ground. He felt something brewing inside him and it was making his chest hurt. "Murderer," he hissed in a raspy voice._

_"What was that?" _

_Draco finally lifted his head. He could see nothing in the vast darkness of his eyes. "You are a murderer," stated Draco._

_"I saved your life."_

_"From what?!" excploded Draco. "If I'd have died at least it would be over! You didn't save me from anything! You're a bloody murderer!" He was heaving for air._

_"It had to be done. He was already dying. It was an act of mercy."_

_Draco's ears deceived him. He could hear a faint touch of pleading in his voice as if he wanted to explain and make Draco understand. Draco steeled himself against it. "You aren't merciful, Professor Snape. You're just a murderer," he reiterated._

_Professor Snape looked away as he said, "You have no idea what you are doing, Draco. The way you see things is distorted and wrong."_

_"At least I didn't murder someone who trusted me."_

_"Don't you see? He trusted me to help him."_

_"Well then, your help I don't need," said Draco as he stalked off._

_"Don't run away, Draco. There's no where to go," warned Professor Snape._

_Draco ignored him and went outside. He never thought he'd mourn the loss of Albus Dumbledore, especially because he had been plotting his murder over the course of the year. He leaned against the wall of Snape's house and sank down. His vision blurred as he left out a sob. He replayed it over and over again in his head. He covered his head with his hands as he started shaking. He whispered, "I'm sorry," over and over again like a mantra._

_He stayed there until the Dark Mark began to tingle and burn. At that sighed, he got to his feet and straightened himself out. He wiped his face and squared his shoulders. Draco had little choice, but to push forward and keep going. He never had a choice or a chance._

Harry pulled away from the memory. Draco's life and soul were saved by Severus Snape and Albus Dumbledore respectively. Draco even in the harshest of pursuits never killed anyone; he always held back when he could have finished people off. Harry had to kill Tom Marvolo Riddle in order for the world to have peace. Draco never killed anyone. He never stepped over that line.

It was odd reliving someone else's past. Harry now knew that a lot of Draco's bravado was just a show. He wanted to believe more than one that his dad was all powerful and could do anything. Reality had destroyed Draco's vision of Lucius.

Harry was searching for the memories of Pansy Parkinson. After they broke up, Draco and Pansy weren't exactly friends. Pansy lacked the character and courage that Astoria Greengrass had possessed. Pansy was a coward. Harry saw at least bits of courage from the others who had helped Draco.

However there was a memory towards the end that was telling.

_ Pansy looked immaculate in her stylish robes as Draco walked up to her. "Hello Pansy," he said._

_"You've got to stop this madness," said Pansy without preamble._

_"Stop what?"_

_"Draco, you know what I'm talking about."_

_"Pansy, I made you an offer before."_

_"Oh that? I don't see why you even bothered to."_

_"Because I thought you'd like the chance to at least set things right or to make it up."_

_"I didn't do anything wrong. I wasn't the one who plotted Dumbledore's murder in between classes and then stood by when Snpe did it. I wasn't the one who that Mudblood Muggle loving professor spoke to before the Death Eaters finished her off. Oh and yeah, I wasn't a Death Eater. That was all you."_

_The only time Draco's veneer broke was when Pansy mentioned the Muggle Studies professor, Charity Burbage. "You're spot on all points, but at least I did something. I tried. You have never done anything worthwhile in your life, Pansy," he told her. "I will spend the rest of my life atoning for the things that I have done, even more for the things I didn't do."_

_"I feel sorry for Astoria and Scorpius. They're the ones who'll pay for your self-righteousness. Think of them."_

_"I do. And as for my son, most parents say they want to give their children the world, but I want to give him a better one."_

_"You want to him a better world? Try giving him one without you in it," snorted Pansy, "because that's exactly what's going to happen." _

_"You know who killed Milly and her parents, don't you?"_

_Pansy's eyes flickered for a moment. Draco's hand darted out, grabbing her. She gasped, trying to wrench her arm free. "I-I don't know!" she declared. "I don't know who wanted Milly dead! Maybe her parents and she was just there."_

_"Why don't I believe you?"_

_"You're hurting me, Draco."_

_Draco released her immediately. "You know something," he whispered as he glared at her. "And if you don't tell me and someone else dies, there won't be any place on the planet you'll be able to hide from me."_

_"Even if I did, why would I tell you?"_

_"Because you value yourself above anyone else, and you'll tell if only to keep yourself alive."_

_"Go to Hell, Malfoy," spat Pansy and with that she left._

Harry looked at the date of that memory. It was clearly labeled in the last month of Draco's life. He wasn't sure if Pansy was lying or not. It made it all the more imperative that they locate her. He could see the look in her eyes. Harry wondered if Draco could recognized that same desperate look on Pansy's face because it was the same one that Draco had during their sixth year.

***

Scorpius decided that he wanted to throw a get together for the end of the summer and for the start of the upcoming school year. However, he had to go to the Burrow to finish up his chore list up. James, Albus, and Lily along with the other cousins came over during that time. Much to James' disappointment his grandmother went easy on Scorpius. All he had to do was de-gnome the garden, which Albus and Fred happily helped him with. The other task was to help Arthur organize the Muggle artifacts he had in the shed. It was a task that his grandchildren, with a few exceptions including Rose and Hugo, didn't like helping him with. Scorpius had no such problem. In fact, they took longer than expected because he asked Arthur a lot of questions.

"I told you they have a soft spot for orphans," Albus told James who wasn't at all happy. "Did you really think that Gran and Granddad were going to give him hard chores to do?"

"It's true," said George, who had come over to drop some things off for their parents. "Your dad got off easy from our mum, even if he was involved."

"I just can't believe it. How get the gnomes out of the garden and helping Granddad with his crazy collection forms of punishment? They're getting soft in their old ages," sighed James.

"I am not that old, James," said Molly. "And Scorpius has been through a lot. A lot more than anyone says, and besides I didn't really want to be dragged into another family's disciplinary actions, but Narcissa insisted."

"I never thought you'd be on a first name basis with Narcissa Malfoy, Mum," said George.

Molly shrugged as she said, "We have something in common." She gave George a long look. "That poor child losing his parents along with his aunt, uncle, and cousins, is just so horrible. He was just acting out. That's all."

George understood that look. He knew that his mother was thinking of Fred. He put his arm around her. Scorpius had a bit of a trickster in him like Fred and George, so it wasn't too hard for Molly to go easy on him. "I'm sure that he appreciates it after all the things he had to for his grandmother, aunt, and Neville."

Arthur and Scorpius came in. "So, you are studying how Muggles communicate without owls. It is fascinating," said Arthur as they walked in.

"I don't know what's worse really: Gran going easy on him or Granddad liking him so much," said James under his breath.

Albus said, "So, you're done with the list?"

"Yes," said Scorpius happily. He sighed as he took a seat. "I was thinking of having some people over at the house. I'd have to check with my grandmother first though."

"You mean like a party," said Albus.

"Something like that," said Scorpius. "I mean I mostly have just my aunt and Teddy over. It's nice to have more company over. My dad was never keen on having people over. We never had a party in the house. For bigger gatherings, it was at Greengrass Glen, Malfoy Manor, or the lake house. Obviously, I spent more Christmases at Malfoy Manor than I care to remember. Twelve of them as a matter of fact."

"Terrible considering it's also your birthday," winced Fred.

Scorpius didn't want to even mention it being his birthday. "You made out like a bandit with the gifts though didn't you," said James.

Scorpius shrugged. "You might say that. My dad and Lucius had their annual Christmas argument and it was normally because of Lucius' excess." He could feel the eyes of others on him. "I'm an only grandchild. My grandmother forgot about that when she made the list."

"Now, dear, you didn't leave her much of a choice," said Molly as she set some biscuits in front of him.

"Back to the party," said Albus. "So how big a party are you planning?"

"Nothing too big. I don't really want to put my grandmother through too much," said Scorpius.

"Not like you couldn't afford catering," put in Fred.

Scorpius shrugged. "I don't think so. I'm just some people over is fine. I've never had to plan a party before. Everything as most people know is planned for me or around me. I'll let everyone know as soon as I figure it out."

***

Narcissa had long played hostess in any number of gatherings. She and Andromeda had usurped the planning from Scorpius, but he didn't mind. As far as he was concerned it was no trouble for him. He and Teddy played chess while their grandmothers planned everything.

The house was large enough, but the backyard was ample, too. Scorpius and Teddy set up the tables and the canopy on the early morning of the party. Molly Weasley came over to help their grandmothers despite Scorpius' objections. He was overruled by his grandmother and aunt. He thought that guests shouldn't be involved in the planning.

"This is a beautiful home you have," praised Molly.

"It's Scorpius' house," said Narcissa. "But thank you."

Molly watched as Teddy and Scorpoius were messing around in the backyard. "He's like his dad, but there's something softer about him," she observed.

"Draco might have been the same at one point. War has a way of hardening someone," said Narcissa.

"This is the first time that Scorpius has ever had a party here, isn't it?" asked Andromeda.

"Draco abhorred such gatherings. The last party he ever attended willingly was his wedding reception," answered Narcissa. "but that was my fault and his father's. We forced him to socialize whne he didn't want to and made him play the piano. Lucius was trying to make him into something he was not."

"I wish I could have afford lessons for instruments like those for my children," sighed Molly. "Although only Bill and Percy had the attention span for it and maybe Ginny and Ron."

"Dora lacked a certain amount of coordination," said Andromeda fondly. "So does Teddy."

The women laughed and the boys could hear them. They all finished up things before everyone started arriving. Scorpius and Teddy came inside. Narcissa said, "Scorpius, don't you want to change your clothes?"

Scorpius stared at her. "What's wrong with my clothes?" he asked.

"You seem to be wearing the same thing all the time. I know you have more clothes than that."

Scorpius looked down at what he was wearing. True, he wore a grey shirt and jeans as his regular, non-school attire. His trainers were a bit scuffed. That was the one main difference between him and his dad: Scorpius had no interest in fashion. "But I like what I'm wearing. No one will notice, Grandmother," he insisted. He gestured at Teddy. "He's not going to change."

"Oh, but I am," said Teddy as he ran his fingers through his magenta hair, turning it into flaming orange.

"That's not fair," muttered Scorpius as Teddy looked smug and please.

"Change now, Scorpius," ordered Narcissa firmly. "You've been up since practically dawn and your shoes are a mess. Go."

"Yes, Ma'am," sighed Scorpius. He nodded to Molly and his aunt, "Excuse me, but I must comply with Madame's orders."

"Don't be cheeky," added Narcissa. She smiled as she shook her head. The guests began to arrive through the fireplace. The Potters arrived first because of Albus. Scorpius came back down fifteen minutes later. He had changed from his jeans into a pair of newer, darker ones. He had a proper shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of shoes that he normally wore for school. "You're a bit overdressed Malfoy," observed James.

"My grandmother made me change," said Scorpius.

Lily was looking around, but turned to see Scorpius. The shirt he wore was a light blue, which matched his eyes well. "Welcome to Manderlay," he simply said. He sort of smiled.

"This is a beautiful home," complimented Ginny.

"Thanks," said Scorpius.

Albus said, "So you're really off punishment now?"

"Yes, but she's now watching me like a hawk," said Scorpius.

More guests arrived and the house began to fill up. The house had more life it in it than it had since Draco and Astoria had left it, never to return.

Lily looked at the photographs that were displayed. Astoria was the most beautiful person she had ever seen, and Draco was handsome as well. She thought that Draco had sort of a strange smirk on his face even when he wasn't smiling, a sort of wry look that belied the secrets well below the surface. Ginny commented on the baby pictures of Scorpius, "Aw…you look like a baby angel."

James and Louis along with Fred started laughing. "Thanks, Mrs. Potter," said Scorpius as he kicked Fred's shin for laughing.

Lily wasn't the only one to notice Astoria's striking looks. "I can't believe you came out of her. What did she do to deserve you?" asked James.

"I could ask you the same question, Potter," retorted Scorpius. Eventually all the guests arrived. The party started moving outside. Fred volunteered to give a tour of the property, which Rose, Hugo, Roxanne, Lily, and Louis jumped at. Albus and Scorpius didn't choose to go. Albus got into a chess game with Dominique, while Scorpius was quietly taken away by Victoire. James and Teddy went to go and move the drinks. James didn't want to look at the property. They ended up examining the lilies.

"So have you had a good summer so far?" asked Victoire.

"Good and bad," he said.

"I'm going to be straight with you, Scorpius, because I'm the eldest among my grandparents' grandchildren. I know that she kissed you."

Scorpius froze. His skin seemed to react when his mouth couldn't. He went to bit pink. "Um…" he fumbled. "You see…."

Victoire enjoyed watching him squirm. "I don't mind," she told him.

"Have you told anyone else?" he gasped. "Teddy?"

Victoire was enjoying this less and less because he looked terrified. "No, I haven't told anyone. I promise."

Scorpius breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. Thank you, Victoire."

"Was this your first kiss?" Scorpius turned even redder as he nodded. Victoire went on, "It was hers, too. She's had her eye on you for a while."

"I didn't notice," he admitted wryly. He almost admitted that he didn't notice Lily that much. She was just an attachment to Albus before. Now she was registering as a separate entity from her brother. He felt a bit guilty for not noticing her. "Can you talk to her please, Victoire?"

"What about?"

"I'm not the type of boy she should be liking," he explained as he looked down at his shoes. "I'm completely wrong for her. She deserves someone better."

Victoire stared at Scorpius. "First off, Weasley girls are stubborn. Telling us we're wrong isn't a good idea. Second, I can't imagine her doing any better than you. You've got to give yourself more credit. You're smart, generous, kind, compassionate, considerate, and a bit of a bad boy. You give money away and you've even given to the Muggles."

"They saved my life," said Scorpius. "There's also an army of you. Not to mention her brothers. And her father, uncles, and grandfather."

"My grandfather likes you, so does my dad, and uncles. As for her father, I don't know."

"He's scary," mumbled Scorpius.

"He won't do anything to you. My aunt won't let him."

"I don't know how I feel about her."

That gave Victoire a bit of a start. It didn't occur to her to even think how Scorpius might have felt about Lily. "Are you feeling anything?"

"Confusion mostly," confessed Scorpius. His skin turned even pinker. "She took me by surprise. I was just teasing her a bit. She dumped an entire bread basket on me, and she stopped talking all the time when I was around. I thought she didn't like me."

"Hey! Scorpius, come on," called Teddy.

Victoire hollered back, "We're coming."

Teddy came around the corner with James just behind him. Scorpius was still a bit pink. "What's wrong?" asked Teddy with concern.

"I'm fine," answered Scorpius as he buried his hands in his pockets.

"Let's go," said Victoire taking Teddy's arm.

Scorpius wondered just how much James had overheard. He didn't have to ask. The glare James sent him was enough of an answer.

* * *

Author's Note: The memories here obviously weren't going to make it into Memory Vials. They are too short and are actual part of the plot. Some reviewers are impatient when it comes to romantic pace. Come on now, she's twelve and he's nearly fifteen. One can't make a leap just yet. Although the next part, will be more fun. I promise.

Also, the reason for the delays is partly real life (work and family) and I also wanted to build up some reserve chapters.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	44. Part 44: Hogwarts Express

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Forty-Four: Hogwarts Express

There was a combination of seating under the canopy. There were individual chairs around the tables, while there were longer seats in the center, creating a sort of living room. Scorpius sat down on the longer chair as Lily came back with the others. She took a seat next to him. James was now watching them like a hawk.

Other than sitting next to each other, Scorpius and Lily weren't giving any hints. At one point, James came and sat down between them. Scorpius became aware of James' stocky build and stone weight advantage he had over him. This wasn't good. Scorpius got up and sat down with Fred. All along James glared at him. Lily asked her brother, "What are you doing, James?"

"What? Can't a big brother sit with his little sister?"

Lily shrugged. She was disappointed that Scorpius wasn't sitting with her anymore. On top of that, he was ignoring her. Again. She sighed and got up.

"I'll get something to drink," said Scorpius after talking to Fred for a bit. "Want anything?" The drinks had run low and there were more in the kitchen.

"Sure, my good man," replied Fred grandly. "Another Butterbeer, please."

Scorpius smirked. "I'll be back," he said as he walked off. He went into the kitchen. That was where Lily had gone for refuge. She had already seen him, so he couldn't just go.

"Fred wanted another Butterbeer," he told her. He could tell she was upset.

"There's some under the table," she said.

Scorpius went up to the table that she sat at. "What's wrong?" he asked her. She was sitting in his kitchen like it was the most natural thing in the world. The shades had been drawn earlier to keep everything cool and shaded.

"You won't talk to me."

"I talk to you."

"Never mind. I should just be grateful that you know I'm alive."

"I've always known you were alive."

"I really like you," managed Lily. She sounded almost heartbroken.

Scorpius took a seat next to her. "I don't know how I feel about you. I've got too much baggage. You're only twelve. How can you be so set on what you want?" He thought about how indecisive he had been about things. How he had avoided dealing with his aunt and uncle's estate. He held people's lives in limbo during that time.

He could smell the strawberries. He saw the hair clip he had given her. There was an errant curl that hung just next to her ear. Unable to resist, he reached out and pulled it behind her ear. He kissed her cheek without thinking.

Scorpius had seen his father do that to his mother when she was upset. Lily turned her head in surprise, which jolted him out of the moment. "This is a bad idea," he managed to get out before her lips touched his. She pulled back from him. "A really bad one," he muttered as she got up to leave, but he caught her arm. "Your cousins know."

"I told Roxanne."

"I think James knows."

Lily's brows shot up. "Oh," she said.

"Just a heads up." She bit her lip looking worried. Scorpius got up. Lily looked up at him. He was struck at how small she was. "Don't worry about it. James, I can handle."

"Sorry," she said.

"Lily, I'm not sure where we stand officially," he said. "We ought to think about it some more."

Lily nodded. "I have to go. We can't come out of here together, if James is lurking about."

Scorpius let her go. He tentatively touched his lips, then pressed them together tasting the strawberries. Sighing, he went to go and get the Butterbeer, and go back to Fred.

The rest of the party went by all right. They all broke up well after the sun had set. The Potters were the last to leave. James sent Scorpius another death glare before they left through the fireplace. Scorpius just ignored it.

Narcissa said, "That was rather nice. We should have a birthday party like that for you."

"I'd rather not."

"Where did you disappear off to?"

"I was talking to Victoire by the lilies."

"No, I saw you. You went away for a bit in the afternoon. When you came back, you looked like were struck by a cheering charm."

Scorpius blinked at her. His grandmother was paying more attention to him now. "It was a party to celebrate my completion of your list. Of course, I'm happy."

Narcissa smiled. "I've been meaning to talk to you."

"About what?"

"Well, you're growing up. Soon, you'll be more of a man than a boy."

Scorpius stopped her, "Grandmother, my dad and I have had this talk. We don't need to talk about it."

"How did he go about explaining things? Because I know your grandfather's talk involved a gardening analogy that your father found unhelpful."

Scorpius turned pink at the ears. "No, he didn't say anything about gardening," he muttered. "Girls are so much trouble."

"You are a good looking boy, Scorpius," pointed out his grandmother. "I'd say even more than your father. Your face isn't as angular and you have your mother's lips and beautiful smile."

"Most are interested in my money," said Scorpius. He looked outside at the lilies. He thought of something. "Tell me how you met Lucius."

"We met at a ball," said Narcissa. "We saw each other at school. He ran around with his friends. I was having some trouble at home."

"What kind of trouble?"

"My parents had disowned my sister. Andromeda had eloped with Teddy's grandfather. My other sister was unbearable. I only had two people I could count on, my cousins."

"Which ones?"

"Reggie and Sirius. Reggie protected me like an older brother in the dorms after Andromeda was cut off, but he began to change, too. He became cold and distant. Sirius was in Gryffindor. He and I had the same piano teacher, but he was a bit older so he would help me."

"Sirius? That was Mr. Potter's godfather, wasn't it?"

Narcissa nodded. Her eyes clouded over with sadness. "When he couldn't take it with his parents any longer, he left to go and stay with the Potters. I took out my anger on him. All of it, even the one I had for Andi. He tired to apologize even offer to write me and see me, but I was so angry to even listen to him. I never spoke to him again."

Your grandfather heard part of it. He called Sirius a 'blood traitor.' I never corrected him. I never defended my cousin. I was missing so much in my life and Lucius was the escape. He was gave him something I needed: a sense of belonging."

Scorpius didn't say that he was called a "blood traitor." He said, "So Lucius got in good with you by insulting your relatives?"

"Not exactly. He was told by his father to talk to me during the ball. It was his way of striking up a conversation. Your grandfather would never admit it, but he was so nervous. He kept clutching at the sleeves of his dress robes."

Scorpius thought about the swimhole how he almost tore holes in the picnic blanket while he was talking to Lily. "So you weren't arranged to be married?"

"No, dear. Your parents were arranged, but it took three years to get them married. You were a five year project."

"What about me, Grandmother? Is there any point in planning on the future? What if I don't have one?"

"Your father worried about the same thing," replied his grandmother.

Scorpius rubbed his scar. He hated it. It reminded him that there was a chance that he didn't have a future. Narcissa watched him. He was keeping something from her. "Is there a girl?" she ventured.

Scorpius turned pink. "Not really," he said. "I don't know."

Narcissa grinned. Her grandbaby was growing up. It seemed like yesterday that he had trailed after his parents like a baby duck. "Who is she?" she asked.

"I'm not telling you," exclaimed Scorpius a little more forcefully than he had intended. Narcissa started laughing. "Why are you and everyone else enjoying this?"

Narcissa composed herself. Scorpius wore the same exasperated expression his grandfather and father wore. "My adorable grandson," she said warmly. Scorpius scowled at her. "She is a pretty girl as beautiful as anyone of your mother's flowers." Her eyes sparkled.

Scorpius sighed. Of course, she'd figure it out.

"She's still too young though. You'd better wait," his grandmother sagely advised. "Your parents were also two years apart and in two different houses."

"I'm not sure," he said. I don't know. I'm trying to make her not like me. Or at least, I'm thinking about it." Scorpius solemnly vowed never to be alone with Lily in a kitchen ever again. "She's very stubborn."

"So are you," pointed out Narcissa. "Your father called you the most stubborn creature alive after you mother."

"So you're saying that this is going to be a battle of wills?" asked Scorpius.

Narcissa laughed, "This should be interesting."

***

September 1st came and everyone gathered at Platform 9 ¾. The goodbyes were said and everyone boarded Hogwarts Express. Scorpius, Albus, and Fred were in one compartment with Lily and Roxanne. They were settled in it when someone came by. It was Naomi Wellington. She looked a bit disheveled. "Hi, I was wondering if there was room here," she said hurriedly. "I practically had to jump on the train."

"S-sure," said Albus immediately. Naomi smiled and Roxanne moved over to let her have a seat.

"I could have gone in with my mum if I had missed the train, but it's bad enough that she works at the school. There's no need to show up with her," said Naomi.

Albus had taken the window seat as usual and so did Lily. Scorpius wondered what was up with the Potters had window seats, but he didn't say anything. Scorpius got stuck between Fred and Albus and was directly across from Roxanne. Fred was right in front of Naomi. Scorpius wondered if Albus was going to give him the window seat at this point.

Before anyone could say anything, the door of the compartment opened again. This time it was James and Louis. "Hey, everyone," said James. He threw a smile all around, but reserved a glare for Scorpius who stared at him.

Louis said, "James, there isn't enough room in this compartment. Let's go some place else."

"No, there's room," insisted James as his eyes settled on Scorpius.

Louis looked at James like he was crazy at this point. "We got to meet with the other Quidditch players to talk about the first game against Slytherin. And well, for form's sake, we shouldn't talk about it in front of Malfoy about it."

"Yes, you shouldn't," agreed Scorpius, hoping that James would leave.

"No, there's still space," insisted James. "Besides, the girls aren't that big. You scoot over, Lily, Rose, and whatever your name is."

"Naomi. My name is Naomi," said Naomi with indignation.

James said, "Whatever, just move so that Louis can sit down."

Naomi rolled her eyes as the other girls moved down. James forced his way into the seat across from Louis, positioning themselves by the door. "This is ridiculous!" exclaimed Albus. "You never sat with us before. First year, you locked me out of the compartment you were in, James. Why are you here?!"

Scorpius winced because Albus was yelling into his ear.

"I know we are family and all, most of us anyway, but this is a little too close for comfort," grumbled Fred.

"That's it!" exclaimed Louis as he stood up. "I'm going to find the other members of the team and we'll have a planning meeting."

"I'll go with you," said Fred as he stood up with a stretch. Scorpius didn't really like this because the alternative of sitting right next to James.

"Let's go," said Louis. "Come on, James."

James shrugged and said, "There will be plenty of time figuring out how to beat the Slytherins. They're too stupid to put that much effort into it. They won't let someone like Malfoy join."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Scorpius.

"I'd be worried if you were on the team, but you're not, so there's no need to," said James. "Like you said, they'd never let you join and you have no intention of helping them."

Scorpius shrugged. He and James both knew why he wasn't leaving. The reason was sitting by the window, looking not the slightest distressed at Scorpius' obvious irritation. On the contrary, Lily wasn't concerned at all. She didn't show anything because she knew why James was there in the first place.

Louis said, "Suit yourself, James. I'll see you later. Coming, Fred?"

"Sure," said Fred as they left the compartment.

"So, you're in Ravenclaw, aren't you, Wellington?" asked James as soon as his cousins were gone. It was a rarity that the three Potters were located in the same compartment.

"Yes, I am," nodded Naomi.

Albus had stopped talking, which wasn't like him. Scorpius nudged him with his elbow. He gave him a pointed look. "I got your mother's reading list," said Scorpius in an attempt to make conversation.

Naomi said, "Mum adores you. You're her favorite student because you're genuinely interested in Muggle Studies, which is weird considering you're the only pureblood in here."

"I have my reasons," said Scorpius with a smile. "You said something about getting online to talk to your dad. Is he away?"

"Yes," replied Naomi. "He's in the military, the Royal Air Force. He flies helicopters."

"Really? I've ridden in one once," said Scorpius.

James raised an eyebrow at this. "When did you do that?"

Scorpius didn't realize what he had let slip. He had forgotten that detail when he had told Albus as well. "It was a while back. I wasn't really in a state to enjoy it," he said. "I have a remote control one that was given to me as a gift."

"It seems like an odd gift to give you, considering that wizards can't really run electricity because of the interference," said Naomi.

"They didn't know I was a wizard at time," said Scorpius quietly. It was the only birthday present that year that he liked, even if he couldn't use it all the time. Albus knew about the helicopter. They had taken it out with Fred one afternoon during the summer. After Fred had flow it into a tree, Scorpius was upset and Albus had to calm him down and they took the pieces back to Scorpius' grandmother to repair it. She did so with the repair spell and he was happy again. Fred was full of apologies.

"You are weird," stated James.

Albus said, "You keep saying that like it's a new thing. Everyone knows he's weird."

"I'm sitting right here," Scorpius reminded the brothers. "I can hit you both from where I am right now."

The girls were laughing at this point. James crossed his arms over his chest as if daring Scorpius to follow through, while Albus seized a bit, scooting away from him. "Scorpius isn't weird," said Lily as she looked at him. "It might be you two who are weird. I've known you both my entire life and you two are strange."

"What a way to talk about your older brothers," said James as he threw Albus a glance. "If we're weird, so are you, Lily. It runs in the family."

"He's got a point," agreed Scorpius.

"Really now, who is normal in this compartment?" asked Roxanne. She looked at Naomi and asked her, "Are you, Wellington?"

"I hope not, Weasley," laughed Naomi. "This is by far the most fun I've had going to school ever."

Soon everyone drifted off after the witch with the trolley came and went, but Scorpius stayed awake. He started reading another novel, but this time it was a series about Greek mythology written by a Muggle American author that Teddy recommended. He was so engrossed that the time went by faster than normal.

The rest of the day went by rather quickly. It happened and in the blink of an eye, Scorpius was in his bed in the Slytherin dorms. It was the first time in a very long time that he felt at peace. He went to sleep. It wasn't a peaceful one.

In another dream, he could see someone walking into a room where there was a fireplace. There was another person sitting there. It was a woman who was doing some thing with a needle. She was sewing. On a mantel there was a row with pictures on it and as far as Scorpius could tell it was the same woman in all of them, but different men in each one. "What are you doing here?" she demanded. Then a hand darted out and grabbed her throat, choking the life out of her.

Scorpius awoke with a start. There was a burning pain coming from his scar as he twisted and turned. He was in agony. The pain lasted for mere minutes, but it might as well be for an eternity. It was at this point that Scorpius had enough presence of mind to start fighting back; using the skills that Harry had taught him. He was exhausted and the pain ebb, but he had a sick feeling it was because the lady he saw in his dream was already dead.

* * *

Author's Note: Another victim, but something different about this one. Scorpius is about to get more proactive. James is also going to get more proactive, too. Real life has gotten the better of me again. I have been very busy. I am so sorry about the lagging in between updates. I hope to get more chapters in reserve soon.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	45. Part 45: At Library

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Forty-Five: At Library

Scorpius woke up early the first day of classes. He didn't mention the dream to anyone, but sent Artemis out to go and get the newspaper for him. He stayed at the owlery waiting for the paper to come back, so he could read it. There was something different about this dream. Or rather this new murder, the murderer was alone except for the victim. There was no one else. No witnesses other than Scorpius and what kind of witness would he make?

Artemis came back with the paper. She seemed to resent being woken up so early to get him the paper. Scorpius gave her an extra owl treat to make it worth her time. He opened it and started leafing through the paper. He wasn't sure what he was looking for.

All this time, Scorpius had let the investigators handle the investigations. He had let them because it was their job and he was just trying to survive the day to day. It was time to do more than just wait for answers. He had the answers in his head. He avoided thinking about it. It was almost the second year since he had lost his parents, a year since he had lost his aunt, uncle, and cousins. He wasn't going to wait another year like this.

Scorpius went downstairs and ended up going towards the Great Hall. It just so happened that Lily was up early. She saw him coming and she saw him. "You look terrible, Scorpius," she said worriedly.

"Good morning to you, too, Potter," drawled Scorpius.

Lily raised an eyebrow at the use of her last name. "What happened to you? You look like you didn't have any sleep," she said.

"Just first day jitters," replied Scorpius. "Are you sure you should be talking to me? Your brother is going to pop up at any moment. He has a talent for it."

"We're in the Great Hall just before breakfast and everyone is going to be down here."

"Yea, I suppose you're right," said Scorpius, relaxing only a little bit. "So where are you relatives? I mean Al and Fred."

"If I know Al, he's dragging Fred out of bed still. Fred isn't so willing to get up on the first day of classes. Not like you."

"I'm always up early. I was born early."

Albus came down with James, who was in a heated conversation with Louis. No doubt they were talking about Quidditch. James stopped talking about Quidditch the moment he saw Scorpius and Lily talking to each other. They simply glanced at them. James was already scowling. Lily rolled her eyes as Scorpius greeted almost glibly, "Good morning, Potters. And Weasley." He nodded at Louis.

"So where's Fred?" asked Lily, even though she knew the answer.

"Still getting dressed," replied Albus. He looked at Scorpius. "Did you get any sleep last night?"

Scorpius groaned, "Why does everyone ask me that? I don't really need to sleep anyway."

Albus didn't quite believe him as he looked at what was in Scorpius' hand. "What's that?"

"Newspaper," replied Scorpius. "It doesn't hurt to know about current events."

"Reading up on yourself, Malfoy," said James.

Scorpius said, "No, no need to."

Eventually, they went off to class and went about the day after having breakfast. The day wore on with the usual things of new syllabuses and projects. Scorpius split from his friends to go off to his elective classes, but before that he stopped at the library.

Over the years, the school decided to start archiving newspapers and other periodicals that they didn't do before. Scorpius began to do a little research of his own. He went through the newspapers, focusing on the murders of his family members. James had given him an idea: he searched using his name.

Ignoring all the articles about his daily activities, he had no idea that the press had such random pictures of him. From the time he was a baby, the press had photos that they had managed to take of him. His dad never really posed for them, holding Scorpius close to him, shielding him from the world. His dad looked furious in some, the ones he was aware of.

Scorpius found the articles after the murders about him. He was labeled as the poor rich boy who had lost almost his entire family. The articles didn't contain facts that he knew about the murders of his parents, namely that he was nearly fatally injured and that he had spent over a week in the care of Muggles. His grandfather was probably grateful for that as was Scorpius.

The names he looked up were that of his parents, aunt, uncle, and Montague. Scorpius also remembered that Harry had mentioned that more than half a dozen deaths were linked to the attempt on his life, so he decided to dive deeper. Montague's murder was almost a footnote in comparison to the others. Scorpius realized that he knew who the other victims must have been.

He stood up and went to Madame Pince and asked to see the yearbooks from his father's last year. The librarian gave him the yearbook and Scorpius flipped over to the section on the Slytherins, but stopped fleetingly at the Ravenclaw section of the yearbook. He looked up his mother. He found her photograph and ran his finger over it. She smiled at him, like she knew who he was. She was so young and utterly beautiful. Scorpius re-focused and flipped to the Slytherins.

Over the course of his childhood, Scorpius had seen and met some of his dad's associates. He looked at each of the ones from the same year as his dad. Vincent Crabbe was long dead. The photos were in alphabetical order. He saw Millicent Bulstrode's photo on the same page. She wasn't very pretty. It was hard to imagine her fitting in with anyone in their class.

Scorpius remembered her though. She came to his uncle's business once or twice. She gave him chocolates from Belgium, not knowing that Scorpius disliked chocolate. His dad ended up eating it. His dad and uncle called her Milly.

Scorpius wrote her name down.

He flipped through the rest of it. He found his aunt's picture. She was beautiful just like her sister, but not as ethereal. People said that his aunt was the earth, while his mother was the sky. He stared at her because she did look like his mother with different coloring, but the same blue eyes and lips. He thought of his cousins how they seemed to mirror his mother and aunt. Little Di was a miniature version of her mother, while Annie looked like her aunt. His dad was fond of both, but had a special liking for Annie.

Scorpius saw his uncle's photo. His uncle was the gentle giant. Scorpius had done a very naughty thing when he was little and bit his uncle. His dad scolded him for biting, but one pout from Scorpius was able to soothe his uncle and gain forgiveness. He added his uncle and aunt's names to his list.

He went through and found Anthony Montague. He wrote his name down. Then, he went through it. He ended up at the Ps and found Pansy Parkinson. He had seen more than one picture of her at the funeral service for his aunt and uncle. He wrote down her name as well.

He flipped through the rest of the yearbook and got towards the end of the photos. He saw Clive Warrington's photo. Scorpius' saw his name on some of his father's business corresponds. It sunk in that Clive Warrington was his dad's lawyer. Scorpius had been dealing with the partners of Warrington's firm. They had mentioned that his dad had to deal with the loss of their partner and that was why the legal affairs for Scorpius were already laid out ahead of time.

Clive Warrington was added to the list.

Scorpius looked at the time and realized that he had to return to the library later on. He packed up what he had and put everything back, returning the yearbook on the way out. He had to go to his Muggle Studies class.

He was already running late. Scorpius was in such a rush that he was leaping two steps at a time to get up the stairs to Professor Chang's classroom. He ran into someone he had only seen a few times. He almost stumbled back and said, "I'm sorry, Professor."

Scorpius was face to face with the Divination professor that Albus and Fred had complained at great length about. Scorpius had even offered up ideas for their tragic predictions. There was something odd about Professor Trelawney. Her eyes were strangely out of focus as if she was looking straight through him.

"The flower shall come to the bringer of light, a child of the stars," she said in a strange voice. "The flower shall be plucked to protect the light."

"Excuse me, Professor," said Scorpius, wanting to get passed her.

"Put it out says the one with the limp. Bad faith shall die to end it."

Scorpius felt that stabbing, burning pain in his scar. He realized he wasn't in a private spot. "Merlin," he swore under his breath. "N-not h-here." He clutched is scar and began to crumple as he reached out his hand to the professor, who was in a trance.

Suddenly, a shock shot out and all went black.

"Maybe, we should thank him for getting class cancelled for us," said a voice.

Another voice snapped, "Shut it, Fred. He could get expelled. You should worry about that more."

"I'm just saying that I didn't really want to have all my classes today. He did me a favor."

"It wasn't on purpose."

"How do you know?"

Scorpius awoke to hear the cousins arguing. Albus turned and saw that he had come around. "Scorpius, are you all right?" he asked. "Filch found you and Professor Trelawney knocked out on the steps." His green eyes flashed with concern. Scorpius remembered awaking to the same anxious eyes from Albus' dad.

"Say something, mate," urged Fred. "Something smart and snotty like you normally do."

"My head hurts," said Scorpius in a whisper. "Is she all right?"

"She hasn't come to yet," said Albus. "What happened?"

"I-I need to see Professor Longbottom," answered Scorpius as the fear spread through him.

"I'm right here," interrupted the Herbology professor. "Boys, you can get going." He said this to Albus and Fred.

Albus didn't look like he wanted to go, but Fred said, "Let's go, Al."

They left and Professor Longbottom took a seat. "Am I getting expelled?" asked Scorpius quietly.

Professor Longbottom replied, "It depends. Tell me exactly what happened." He listened patiently as Scorpius told him everything. He said at the end, "I don't think you'll be expelled, but this is serious. Professor Trelawney has been known to have real predictions. She's been right before. It all depends on if she remembers the incident."

"I don't know what happened, but my scar was burning," said Scorpius. "I didn't use my wand. It just happened. What does it mean, Professor?"

"I think it might have been the shield. You said that it triggers when you're under distress, which is what happened," said Professor Longbottom. He saw Scorpius tip his head back and swallow hard. "It'll be all right. I won't let you get expelled."

"They're going to start talking about it. Fred and Al were already talking about it," said Scorpius. "I just want to blend in. Be normal."

"You keep doing what you're doing and ignore it," said Professor Longbottom. "Either way you mustn't hide out here. As soon as you're up for it, get out of here and go back to class. They'll find something else to gossip about soon enough." He gave Scorpius a reassuring smile. "I'll go talk to Professor McGonagall. She'll probably want to see you."

"I'll go with you now," said Scorpius. "I'm tired of just having to explain things after the fact."

"Fine," agreed Professor Longbottom.

Scorpius picked up his bag, which no one had looked through. He was going to go back to the library as soon as he had a chance to do some more research. Professor Longbottom and he walked out of the infirmary with a simple nod to Madame Pomfrey.

The head mistress was expecting them and they talked about what had transpired. By then, Madame Pomfrey said that Professor Trelawney. Scorpius hoped that Professor Longbottom would be right and that she would remember the incident, but Professor Trelawney said she couldn't remember anything, even meeting Scorpius at the stairs.

Professor Trelawney was prone to theatrics, but almost everyone in the school agreed that this was odd. Scorpius wasn't even a student of hers and she was nowhere near where she should be. It seemed very peculiar indeed.

Scorpius didn't know what to make of it. He had other things on his mind as he attempted to go on with the rest of his day. It was pretty much over since the infirmary, but he went on like it was business as usual. People were looking at him and talking about him. He heard his name from time to time.

Albus caught up with him as they walked together and he was trying to cheer him up. "At least you're not getting expelled."

"I suppose that's something to be grateful for," said Scorpius gloomily. "I just want one year without causing an incident. I promised my grandmother I'd try."

"What happened exactly?" asked Albus.

"We'll talk about it when there are less people listening," said Scorpius. "Let's just say that I'm doomed."

"That's what Professor Trelawney says to everyone, Score. It's not really helpful, but I'll wait."

Scorpius glanced at Albus. He realized that he hadn't told Albus other things about himself and about his family. "I know what my dad did for a living, Al, and it probably got him killed. I need you to help me with some research. What do you say about going to the library?"

"Okay, fine," said Albus.

Scorpius didn't eat dinner alone because Albus dragged him along to the Gryffindor table. James was none too pleased with this. So, he did talk about what had happened that afternoon because he knew it would irritate Scorpius.

"So, Malfoy, you're still here?" asked James.

Lily was sitting next to him. She glared at James. Louis said, "Malfoy's gran's going to get him."

"Probably," said Scorpius with a shrug.

"If it's a howler, you'll just pour juice over it," said Fred.

Scorpius had forgotten about his grandfather's howler and actually cracked a smile. "So, what are you going to do, Fred?"

"Practice for the game with the Slytherins," said Fred.

James said, "No need to tell Malfoy that, Fred."

At the end of dinner, Lily overheard Albus say, "Let's go to the library now. What is that we're researching?"

"I have a list of names we have to look at," said Scorpius.

"You said you knew what your dad did for a living. How long have you known?" asked Albus.

"Since the summer," said Scorpius. "Your dad figured it out."

"Really?" asked Albus. He shrugged. "So what did he do for a living?"

"When I was younger, I used to have the normal fear of the dark that most kids have," said Scorpius. "He was the one who would check for monsters under the bed or behind the curtains. My mum said that it was his job to slay monsters. He's not that much different from your dad or your uncle. Or even Professor Longbottom before."

"Let me see the list," said Albus. Scorpius handed it to him. "Who are these people?" He paused when he recognized the two of the names on the list. "Aren't these your aunt and uncle?"

"Yes," confirmed Scorpius. "I think they're all dead. Your dad said that there were nearly a dozen victims in all, including my parents. Of course, your dad didn't name any names other than the ones I already knew."

Albus shifted uncomfortably. "I don't think it's a good idea for you to be looking into this, you should leave it to the Aurors."

"Have you any idea what it's like to sit there and wait for answers?" asked Scorpius. "I'm tired of doing that. I'm tired of waiting. If I sit still any longer, I'm going to go mad."

Albus shrugged. "I guess it doesn't hurt if we do research in the library, it's not like we've got the resources that the Aurors do." He looked at Scorpius. "You'll go on your own anyway, so I might as well help you."

"That's the spirit," said Scorpius.

Lily watched them walk away. She wondered if she should be listening at all. She was worried about what they were saying about him. Scorpius suddenly stopped and said, "We have to go see Professor Chang. I have to turn in my assignments and find out what I missed."

"All right," said Albus.

Roxanne said to Lily, "You can't follow them all the way to Professor Chang's. They're bound to notice. We should go to the library and figure out what they're going to do there."

"Right," agreed Lily.

Scorpius led the way to Professor Chang's classroom. They ran into someone they didn't expect to see. "Excuse me," said Naomi as she shoved her way between the boys. She looked rather upset as she climbed down the stairs without looking at them.

Albus and Scorpius looked at her a moment, but Scorpius tapped Albus' shoulder to get his attention. He gestured for them to keep going. He knocked on the open door. "Professor Chang?" he asked.

Professor Chang was leaning against her desk with her arms crossed over her chest. She looked a bit furious about something. "Scorpius?" she said, suddenly straightening up. She saw Albus and said, "Hello, Albus."

"It's Al, Professor Chang," said Albus. "People only call me Albus when they're mad."

"Here are my assignments, Professor, I'm sorry it's late," said Scorpius as he handed over his assignments. "I'm sorry I missed class."

"Yes, about that, I don't listen to rumors. I know whatever happened between you and Professor Trelawney wasn't done with any malice on your part," said Professor Chang. "If you need anyone else to vouch for you, I will."

"Thanks, Professor," said Scorpius. "So what did I miss?"

"Well, we're planning on going to a Muggle museum in London. They call it a field trip," said Professor Chang. "I'm even going to have permission slips drafted for it and signed to make them official."

"Really?" asked Scorpius. Then he thought about it for a second. "I may not be able to go."

Professor Chang studied Scorpius for a minute. "I understand that some wizarding guardians might be a little reluctant to have their children in the Muggle world, but that is the point of this class," she said. Albus noticed how Professor Chang didn't use the word "parents." "I could discuss it with your grandmother to reassure her that everything will be fine."

"It's not exactly my grandmother," said Scorpius. He sighed.

Albus said, "It might be my dad."

"Why is your father in charge of where Scorpius can and cannot go?" asked Professor Chang. She put her hands on her hips. She wasn't dressed in regular robes like the other teachers, but in a Muggle pantsuit with the jacket hanging in the closet. "Scorpius, what is it that you want?"

Scorpius was caught off guard. After a moment he said, "I want to find out who murdered my parents."

"If that's what you want," said Professor Chang. "Then you should do something about it, but for right now you need to live a life. Living it in the stands isn't the way to do it. Do you want me to talk to Mr. Potter and your grandmother?"

"Sure," said Scorpius. "I say good luck talking to them both."

"My dad's not unreasonable," said Albus.

"He will be once he finds out what happened with Professor Trelawney."

* * *

Author's Note: I did a bit of research thanks to Wikipedia and a baby names site. Cho and Naomi have some issues. Sorry for the delays. I sort of started working on a story of my own. I wish I had more time to write. I love write.

Time passes in this story rather quickly and the next chapter doesn't completely tie with this. This is still an important chapter. I have reserve chapters up which means the updates will come much sooner than the last couple of chapters. In fact, they're chilling on the website. I am currently watching _Doctor Who_. The new companion Amy Pond, played by Karen Gillian, is totally how I would have imagined the adult Ginny Weasley in the books.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	46. Part 46: In the Rain

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Forty-Six: In the Rain

Neville thought it best to meet with Harry in person to tell him what had happened to Scorpius. It was much easier than attempting to explain it in a letter. Harry and Neville met at the Three Broomsticks. They ended up talking about it and Harry wasn't too happy to find out what had transpired. He leaned back when Neville was done, saying, "And she doesn't remember anything?"

"Yes," affirmed Neville for the third time.

"That's not good," said Harry. "Scorpius had an attack at that same moment, which only confirms that what Professor Trelawney said is true."

"Scorpius has to ride another storm of controversy."

"We'll know it's bad if he gets used to it."

"You're one to talk, Harry."

"Of course, remember our second year? People thought I was the heir of Slytherin."

"Yes, I suppose that was bad for you."

"Then third year."

"Yes, that was pretty bad, too."

"Then, fourth year."

"Oh yeah."

Harry looked up at Neville and sighed. "He is a stronger lad than me. He's been through more hell and yes, I may have been through death, but not like Scorpius. Malfoy's life is a complete and utter mystery. Even with the memories, we're in more confusion than ever."

"Maybe, Malfoy didn't know who killed him," said Neville. "Or he suspected someone, but trusted them too much to believe it was them."

Harry leaned back musingly. "Pansy Parkinson is still at the top of our list."

"Any luck finding her?" asked Neville. "Sometimes, I think that I do regret not being an Auror anymore."

"I agree," said Harry, "but your position now is more important. You made the right choice and it eventually worked out. Scorpius needs you in Hogwarts."

Neville sighed. "Parkinson wasn't just Malfoy's former girlfriend, but also Daphne Greengrass' friend. One of her closest friends, if I remember their little clique clearly. Maybe, finding another member of that group might yield a better result."

Harry said, "We've ran down as many leads as we can."

"You know who floated from group to group within Slytherin. Blaise Zabini."

"Ron has spoken to him. In fact, Zabini hasn't heard from Parkinson in years. He said that after the war she and Malfoy had a falling out. Well, before the end of the war. After Dumbledore died, Parkinson thought it best not to associate herself with him. Zabini said that Malfoy wasn't broken hearted. Zabini insisted that they remained friends even after, but the memories are a bit different from that. Draco Malfoy wanted to make up for what he had done during the war, but Parkinson did not want to involve herself at all."

"A coward through and through."

"Exactly."

Harry thought about it. Ron had interviewed Zabini a few times already. Harry thought that it was time he talked to Zabini directly. Perhaps, he might get more out of Zabini than Ron. Not that Ron wasn't a capable investigator; he just had a tendency to become fixated on things too easily.

Scorpius was used to getting a lot of unsolicited mail that came to him at school, during breakfast. Most of them were requests for exclusive interviews and others were for charitable donations. He forward almost of all of it to his lawyers to deal with. People didn't seem to understand that he was just a child and wasn't allowed to make decisions about his money without consulting with his lawyers and grandmother first.

He did receive a letter from someone unexpected. She even sent along a picture that he had never seen before of his aunt and her. He didn't let other people see it. It was bad enough that everyone, even Albus, knew things about him. He wanted something for himself for just a little bit.

If Scorpius thought that James was going to leave him alone with regards to Lily, he was sorely mistaken. James kept closer tabs on them than he did on the snitches in the Quidditch matches. James was rather busy though, so he wasn't around as much as he would have liked. Furthermore, the two year gap was like a wide cliff that was nearly impossible to cross. It limited the time that Scorpius and Lily even saw each other.

Scorpius wanted to limit the number of incidents involving him to once a year. With the Tralawney incident done, Scorpius thought he could relax for the duration of the school year. So despite spirited and passionate pleas from Fred to join in some pranks, Scorpius declined.

The gossip of Scorpius had died down as people moved onto other things by November there was hardly any reference to it. All would have been well, if Scorpius hadn't separated from Albus. Hugo asked for help, but his sister had to go to Quidditch practice with the rest of the team. Albus and Hugo went back to Gryffindor Tower. Scorpius decided to complete a letter to Pansy Parkinson and mail it off. It just so happened that Lily had a letter to send to her cousin. Albus said she could use Gandy. She went to the owlery by herself because Roxanne wasn't willing to brave the chill and the potential rain.

Lily caught Scorpius as he was tying his letter to Artemis's leg. She turned a bit scarlet, which was horrible because she was wearing her crimson pea coat. The weather had chilled a lot since September. Scorpius was now giving Artemis an owl treat. He looked at her.

"Hi," said Lily timidly.

Scorpius nodded, "Hi." He turned his attention briefly back to his owl. She hooted at him and affectionately nipped at his finger before taking flight. He thought of leaving, going back to the castle, but he didn't.

Lily called to the rafters, "Gandy! Please come down!" She hooted, pursing her lips. "Oh, come on."

Scorpius had seen Albus go through this a few times with Gandy. All right more than a few. And as cute as Lily was making owl noises, Scorpius grinned as he called, "Gandy, I've got some owl treats, if you want some. Come down and you'll get some."

Lily glanced at Scorpius. She was standing closer to the entrance of the owlery. He tossed her one of the treats. Gandy came down and landed next to her with an expected hoot. He was always eager for treats. Albus called him stupid a lot of time, but he was just frustrated with his owl. Lily gave Gandy the treat. "He's easily bribed. Although Al keeps insulting him," said Scorpius.

"Thanks," said Lily. "I never have any owl treats because I don't have one owl of my own. It's not so bad. Al doesn't mind sharing."

"It's fine," said Scorpius. "My dad didn't thinking I was responsible enough. He promised for my third year, so I got Artemis' then."

Lily tied her letter and sent Gandy off. She watched Gandy disappear into the sky. The wind fluttered her hair as she looked over the horizon. "Let's get back to castle. It's cold," she told Scorpius, who nodded in agreement.

They started their walk back to the castle in companionable silence. It was broken by the rain. "Ah!" exclaimed Lily at the sudden downpour.

Scorpius used his wand to create a shield from the rain and tipped it up to stop it from pouring on him. It was like an invisible umbrella. "You Gryffindor's never come prepared, do you?" he asked her, teasingly.

"Where would the fun be in coming prepared?" retorted Lily.

"You'll have to stand closer. I haven't worked out how to make it wider," he said loudly over the rain.

Lily came closer. She shivered either from the chill of the rain or the proximity of Scorpius. He could see the rain drops clinging to her eyelashes. They started walking together. Unconsciously, Lily took Scorpius' arm. He didn't pull away, even shortening his stride so she could keep up with him. A moment later, she again cried out, "Ah!" She had stepped in a spot where the ground had given way a bit. "My boot's stuck," she gasped. She yanked her foot out by mistake and would have stumbled forward, if Scorpius hadn't caught her. Her face felt hot as her bottom lip trembled.

"Are you okay?" asked Scorpius. "Do you want to hop back and get your boot?" He gave her a smile.

Lily felt stupid at the moment and very clumsy. Why couldn't Scorpius ever see her when she as graceful? She shivered again. "Hang on a tick," he said as he took a quick step back to her boot and pulled it out of the mud for her. Scorpius set it down in front of her right foot. He didn't get up though, dropping down to one knee, he instructed her, "Brace yourself on my shoulders and put it on. It's got water in it, but it's still better than walking without it."

Lily nodded. "Take down the barrier, so I don't run into it," she told him.

"Oh, oops. I forgot." He lowered his wand and the rain started to fall on him. She watched his hair darken from the rain as it plastered his forehead.

Lily placed her hands on Scorpius' shoulders while he concentrated on keeping her boot still. Lily winced as soon as she felt the water, but she got her foot in. "What the Hell is going on, Malfoy?" demanded a furious voice from behind them.

"He's waiting to be knighted, James," joked Louis. He could have left it there, but his French side must have reared up. "Or he's asking her to marry him."

Scorpius' ears turned red at that and he shot to his feet. He had forgotten that more than half the Gryffindor team were from the same family. He could see varying degrees of amusement on their faces, particularly Fred's. He had clamped his hand over his mouth to stop from laughing out loud.

Lily had turned very red. "Shut it, Louis," she snapped at her cousin. She wanted to melt into the ground and disappear.

"We were coming back from the owlery. Her boot got stuck and I was helping her get it back on," explained Scorpius very hurriedly as he looked James straight in the eye.

"Can we please go back inside?" pleaded Lily as the rain pounded down on all of them.

"Sure," agreed James gruffly as he came up to his sister. He put his arm around her and steered her away.

Fred stayed with Scorpius and they walked in behind the rest of the team. They split up at the junction between the stairs towards Gryffindor Tower and the corridor that lead away. Lily didn't glance back, but James did. Scorpius was far too use to that death glare to care.

Fred gave a low whistle as he gave Scorpius a raised eyebrow. "Nothing happened!" sputtered Scorpius furiously.

"You are so dead," said Fred.

"I said nothing happened," Scorpius gritted through his teeth.

"Then why are you acting like something did?" asked Fred with uncharacteristic calm.

Scorpius groaned as he turned on his heel and started walking away. He waved his hand saying, "That's it. I've had enough of you and your relatives for one night, Fred." He made his escape down to the dungeons.

Lily had broken free of James' grip as soon as they got into the common room. "Lily!" he shouted after her.

Albus was with Hugo at one of the tables. He looked up startled. Lily ran up the stairs to the girls' side. James knew better than to follow her. Albus stood up and joined him. "What did you do, James?" asked Albus.

"What did I do?" demanded James as he turned to his brother, giving him a glare that would have wilted a Mandrake. "Tell your mate to stay away from our sister. Do what you're supposed to do and don't put him before us!"

Albus blinked at him. "I'm lost," he said in a nonplussed voice. "I have no idea what you're going on about, you mad prat."

Rose and Roxanne had gone to see to Lily as the rest of the people in the common room took seats for the unfolding drama. "I think you're being over dramatic, James," put in Louis. He was the only one other than Albus who could openly defy him. He was actually laughing.

"I still don't know what's going on," complained Albus. "Will someone please tell me?"

Louis gave a bit of a bow. "I think a reenactment is in order." He looked around. "I will need a volunteer from the audience. Anyone?" No one was willing, considering how angry James was. "Ella, come here."

Ella Thomas was going to decline, but the others surrounding her took a step back. Ella eyed Louis with suspicion. Louis gestured her to move in front of him. "Just stand right there," he said.

James swore under his breath. "This has something to do with Scorpius," sighed Albus.

James seethed, "Took you long enough to figure that out, Albus."

"You're always picking on him for no reason," said Albus.

"Pay attention!" ordered Louis. He dropped to one knee in front of Ella. "Now, Scorpius said he was helping Lily with her boot. He said it got stuck in the mud and he was helping her get it back on. Ella, put your hands on my shoulders." Ella did just that. She was also wearing a pair of boots, but they were lined with faux fur. Louis put both his hands on it. "See?"

Albus shook his head at James. "Gee, James, Scorpius did a bad thing helping Lily. What did you want him to do leave her behind?"

James exploded. "You are a blind twit! You're blinder than Dad!"

Albus' eye glinted a bit. "You don't like Scorpius. We all get it," he said. "You keep trying to prove that he's evil or something. He's not and neither was his dad. Leave him alone. He's been through enough without you picking on him."

"Unbelievable!" exclaimed James.

"If there was something going on, it's none of your business. Mum's right, you are like Uncle Ron, butting in where you don't belong."

"Hey!" piped up Hugo defensively.

Albus said to him, "Sorry, Hugo, but it's true."

Hugo shrugged and settled back down. James was fuming as he said in a cold voice, "I gave you a chance to deal with Malfoy, so I'll have to do it."

Albus laughed. "You're an idiot. Don't mess with Scorpius because you'll be sorry," he warned.

Scorpius wondered what happened after he took sanctuary in his dorm. He didn't have to wonder for too long because as he was about to come up for breakfast, he was met by James who seemed to come out of nowhere. He didn't know that James had the Mauraders' Map and nicked the Invisibility Cloak from Albus' trunk.

He was only surprised for a brief instant. "What do you want Potter?" asked Scorpius in a bored voice.

"I know what's going on between you and my sister," said James without preamble.

"Really? Why don't you tell me? Because I didn't know there was anything going on," said Scorpius. Sure there were a few kisses. He wasn't about to tell James that.

James glared at him. "You're not good enough for her, Malfoy. I don't care how much money you've got," he said.

"I already know that, Potter," sneered Scorpius.

"You stay away from her," said James.

Scorpius challenged him, "Or what, Potter? What will you do to me? I'm not doing anything. Did she tell you anything?"

"I don't have to know anything, Malfoy. I can tell," muttered James. "And if you don't stay away from her, I'll teach you to."

"I think your sister is smart enough to figure out who she wants to hang around with, Potter. I'm also sure that you can't teach me anything that I don't already know. Now get out of my way, so I can go to breakfast." He side stepped James and started to walk away.

"I'm not done talking to you yet, Malfoy. You'll leave when I let you go!' exclaimed Potter.

"Whatever, Potter."

James' temper always made whatever common sense he had evaporated quickly. He drew his wand without thinking. Without warning, he shouted "_Aguamenti!_"

A blast of water came hurtling at Scorpius who barely turned in time as he hit him. Scorpius didn't draw his wand and took off running full tilt. "COME BACK HERE AND FACE ME, YOU COWARD!" roared James, chasing after Scorpius.

The hexes came at Scorpius, but he drew his wand and started to using defensive spells. "_PROTEGO!" _he shouted. The hex that came at him stopped. He was took off running again. People started watching them and chanting.

"DUEL! DUEL! DUEL!"

Scorpius couldn't believe it. No one should be happy about this. Scorpius ran faster. He had to head to a place where there was someone of authority who could stopped this madness. He ran to the Great Hall.

He still hadn't hurled a single hex at James as they came fast and furious at this point. He could seriously injury Scorpius. "You are so dead, you bloody brat!" shouted James as he ran after him. "Turn around and face me!"

"Like Hell that's going to happen!" shouted back Scorpius as he took a dive under one of the benches. "_Protego totalum!"_

Albus and Lily looked pale as they saw what was happening. They were among the quiet minority as the chanting continued. Lily gripped Albus' arm as he looked at her. "Stop James! You're going to hurt him!" shouted Fred.

"James! Cool it!" shouted Louis.

"I can't watch," murmured Roxanne.

"Come on, Malfoy! Is running the only thing you're good at?" taunted James, ignoring all the spectators, including the professors who had come in.

Scorpius had crawled from under the Gryffindor table and came up the other side. He drew his wand. He had had enough of this. Enough of evading James. He raised his wand and was about to throw another hex at Scorpius.

"_Expelliarmus__!"_ roared Scorpius.

The spell was much more than anyone had expected. It came out in a visible shockwave. James was knocked to the ground and his wand hurtled to Scorpius who caught it. He realized what he had done as he the chanting died down to silence. James was out cold. Scorpius was heaving for air and he turned and saw the Headmistress staring him down. He immediately dropped both wands and held his arms up.

* * *

Author's Note: This was particularly a fun chapter to write once I came up with the idea of how Lily and Scorpius could be alone together and innocently get caught by James. I had planned the part with James for a while because a duel between a Potter and a Malfoy just makes perfect sense. Of course there are consequences. In the next chapter, more on the actual investigation since it was kind of shunted aside for this fun bit.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	47. Part 47: The Headmistress' Office

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Forty-Seven: The Headmistress' Office

The silence in the Great Hall was deafening. Scorpius broke it when he dropped the wands. He turned ashen when he saw the look on Professor Longbottom's face, not the one on the Headmistress'. He was afraid to look at her directly.

"In my office, immediately," ordered Professor McGonagall in a steely tone that none of the other students have heard her use before. Professor Longbottom recognized it all too well from his days as a schoolboy.

Albus looked at Scorpius, then at James. Louis and Fred rushed to James' side. Scorpius bit his lip and nodded his head. "Albus pick up the wands," said Professor Longbottom. "Louis help Fred get James to the infirmary. The rest of you eat breakfast." The authority of Professor Longbottom's voice was what propelled them into action.

Lily looked shocked. Roxanne glanced at her and they went to the table to turn the bench that Scorpius had turned over back up. There was murmuring going on. Lily bit her lip. Rose gave her a sharp glare. "I hope you enjoyed that," she told Lily in a tight voice. "James will probably get expelled because of your stupid fixation."

"What fixation?" asked Hugo. "I've never seen James lose a fight before. He got knocked out."

Albus sat down next to Lily as he gazed at her. "Lily, what's going on?" he asked her. His eyes widened as he looked at her. "Bloody hell," he muttered.

"Leave me alone," hissed Lily as she got up and walked out of the Great Hall. Albus stared at her completely stunned. She practically ran out of the castle as soon as she was outside. She slowed down. She could see Professor Longbottom as he was questioning other students. Some of them were hit by the hexes that presumably James had thrown at Scorpius. James was going to be in big trouble when he woke up.

Scorpius followed the Headmistress to her office. He normally didn't mind visiting with her. He had been one of the most frequent visitors that she had. She liked to discuss his progress in his classes face to face. This time it was under different circumstances. Scorpius placed his hand on his scar. It had been tingling like mad since James confronted him.

"Sit," ordered the Headmistress.

Scorpius promptly sat. The portraits were staring at him. They probably had never seen the Headmistress this angry before. "I can explain, Professor," said Scorpius in a soft voice.

"Yes, you will," said the Headmistress coldly. "You will once Mr. Potter is revived. His parents and your grandmother will be summoned here."

Scorpius paled, even more so. He swallowed, which was something of a miracle because his mouth was parch. "What?" he croaked.

"This was a very public incident with two high profile students."

Scorpius realized that there was a good chance he and James could be expelled. Considering how the fight ended, it was more likely that he was the one would go. Scorpius, who had hated the school for the first few years, didn't want to be expelled. He hung his head down as if the realization had crushed him.

Professor McGonagall leaned back a bit. As head of the school, she had watched children grow into adults. It was one of the most gratifying things about her career. Scorpius was still so young, even though he looked more grown up than the boy who had lost his parents nearly two years ago. Professor McGonagall saw how Scorpius almost always controlled his emotions. His eyes gave him away this time.

"You disrupted breakfast," said the Headmistress. "I'm not cruel enough to leave you to starve." She flicked wand and a breakfast spread appeared. "Eat something, Scorpius."

Scorpius nodded and reached for a piece of toast.

Harry was elbow deep at work. When he got an owl from the school, he sighed as Ron came in with Teddy. "What has James done now?" muttered Harry out loud as he opened the envelope and read it. His eyes widened.

"What? What happened?" asked Ron anxiously.

"I have to go to Hogwarts," announced Harry. "James and Scorpius got into a fight. They ended up dueling in the Great Hall. James is in the infirmary."

"Bloody Hell," swore Teddy. "I'm sure it was a misunderstanding. I mean if were to bet money, I'd bet Score would be the one in the infirmary."

Harry grabbed his cloak. "Ginny will meet me there with Narcissa Malfoy. We'll sort this out."

"Aunt Cissy is in court," said Teddy. "She won't get word. He'll be alone with anyone more."

Harry sighed. If it wasn't possible, he loathed Lucius Malfoy even more. He could imagine how alone Scorpius would feel without having his grandmother there to be on his side. "Neville's there," Ron reminded him as if he was reading his thoughts. "Scorpius won't be alone."

Harry shrugged as he left Ron and Teddy was exchanging befuddled looks. Harry was going to floo over there and he hoped that Ginny would beat him there. Either way, Harry chose to keep his temper in check until he knew exactly what was going on.

By the time Harry was due to arrive at the school, James had been revived and ordered to the Headmistress' office. Scorpius had been waiting there for nearly an hour. Both boys sat in front of the Headmistress' desk in silence. Neither boy looked at the other nor did they look the Headmistress.

Neville stood nearby, but there were three other empty chairs. He stood closest to the one next to Scorpius. Neville had gathered a lot of information and reported it to the Headmistress a while back, but out of the earshot of the boys. During that time, James insulted Scorpius further by insinuating that his grandmother couldn't even be bothered with him. Scorpius let the stinging remarks pass.

The fireplace roared and Harry stepped out. "Hello, Mr. Potter," greeted Professor McGonagall in a clipped and formal voice.

"Hello, Professor McGonagall," said Harry as he dusted off his robes. He cast a glance at his son. James turned his head, not meeting his gaze. He said to Neville, "Hello, Professor Longbottom."

James turned his head a bit, but pale after seeing the look in his father's eyes. Scorpius almost pitied him. "I was informed by my godson that Scorpius' grandmother is still in court. She may not be able to attend this meeting," Harry informed them.

"We are already aware of that," said Neville. "That's why I'm here. Scorpius' father elected me as his guardian in the school and this falls under that."

James spoke up finally, "What? What is so important about him and his dad?"

Scorpius hung his head down again. He didn't want to answer that question. He wasn't important. He didn't think he was. He doubted that any special treatment would keep him from getting expelled from the school. Neville sensed Scorpius' distress and put his hand on his shoulder.

"It doesn't matter if someone is important or not, James," said Harry severely. "What possessed you to get into a duel before breakfast? Were you even thinking?"

James visibly flinched as he started to say, "Dad, it wasn't my fault—"

"You did a very foolish thing, picking a fight with Scorpius like that," scolded Neville as he took his hand off Scorpius and took a seat.

James turned red as Harry sighed. "What exactly happened?" he asked. He raised his hand at James as he opened his mouth. "Neville, how did my son end up in the infirmary?"

Neville admitted, "I only saw the tail end of it. Scorpius used the disarming spell, but it didn't just disarm."

Harry glanced at Scorpius as he thought about it something. "Did the shield activate?" he asked.

"No sir," responded Scorpius, knowing exactly what he meant.

"Hmm," mused Harry as the fireplace flared up before James could ask what shield they were talking about.

Ginny emerged without any formal greeting. She demanded furiously, "James Sirius Potter, what have you done?" She put her hands on her hips as she stared him down. Even without sitting, James looked even smaller under his mother's withering gaze.

"Now that we're all here, let's have an explanation," said Professor McGonagall.

Scorpius noticed that Harry took the seat next to James, keeping Ginny away from their son. Scorpius could see how angry she was and wondered just how much of that extended to him. It was also obvious that James had inherited the Weasley temper, making Scorpius wonder which temper Lily got.

"Scorpius, you go first," said the Headmistress. "You've barely spoken since you got here. I'm curious."

"Me? All right," nodded Scorpius. He told his side of things. He could remember all the spells that James cursed him with, but pretended he couldn't remember all of them. He didn't give a reason for the fight and wouldn't say if it was provoked or not. Scorpius kept an unflinching focused on the Headmistress. His voice was calm, almost too calm. What gave him away was his hand at his side.

James was almost impressed with him. He had never seen a kid deal with adults like that, let alone those who were in authority. It was no wonder most of the professors didn't know what to do with him. It didn't make James any less suspicious of him. James had been observing Scorpius more closely than he had before. He didn't understand why Scorpius had to rub his side so often. When he was done, eyes fell on James to fill in his side.

"Based on what Scorpius has said, it seems the attack was unprovoked and based on the accounts of the other students, you were the one who was doing the hexing and cursing. He used only defensive spells," said the Headmistress. "Is that true, James?"

"Yes," admitted James. "But I've practiced that spell. It's my dad's signature spell. I've disarmed and been disarmed before, but what Malfoy did was completely different."

"It wasn't on purpose. I don't know what happened," protested Scorpius hotly. He glared at James. "Oh what's the point? You keep saying I'm a freak anyway."

Harry's jaw tightened at the word "freak." He could also tell that Scorpius was holding something back, leaving out things. "Perhaps, we should determine whether or not they are to be expelled from Hogwarts?" said Professor McGonagall.

Scorpius turned ashen again, but said nothing. "But Headmistress, you can't!" exclaimed James in a panic. He looked at his parents. "Dad, do something!"

Ginny's anger ebbed as she said, "Neither should be expelled. Give them detention and take away their privileges. We'll see to it that James is punished at home. I'm sure given how creative Mrs. Malfoy is, she won't leave her grandson unpunished."

Neville interceded, "Fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor right now." He looked at James expecting on objection. When that didn't happen, he added, "Thirty from Slytherin."

"That's not fair," objected James.

"Yeah, if anything Slytherin should have sixty points taken," said Scorpius.

James gave him a look and said, "You are the maddest person I know."

The Headmistress looked back and forth between the boys, and then asked, "Why only thirty, Professor?"

Neville replied, "Because Scorpius has made it his personal mission to get as many points knocked off his own house as possible. I can't give him that satisfaction, even if Borgin gets an advantage." He gave Scorpius a look though. "But no need to worry, Scorpius, even if your grandmother isn't here, I'm sure she wouldn't mind what I'll come up with for you."

Scorpius slumped in his chair. So much for the one convenience that came with being an orphan. He said to James, "This is your fault, Potter."

"You started it."

"I did not."

"What started this whole thing?" asked Ginny.

The boys glanced at each other. Lily took after her mother, so it just reminded them why they were fighting. They both fell silent. "Well? What started it?" prompted Harry.

"Nothing," muttered James. "I just don't like him."

Ginny groaned. "James, I told you before that you can't just dislike people for no reason. You let your temper get the better of you and you're risking your future. I can't believe you," she said. The look on her face was disappointment.

Scorpius stood up suddenly, startling everyone. "It's because he knows there's something not right about me."

"You're right. You're the one who woke me up in the middle of the summer with your screaming," said James. "And everyone lets you do whatever you want; even my parents take your side."

"There aren't any sides, James," cut in Harry.

"Sit down, Scorpius," said Neville. It was an order, but it sounded like a request. Scorpius sat back down. "It just so happens that I need some herbs gathered in the Forbidden Forest. It will take a few weekends."

"You're kidding? It's 'forbidden.' Hence the name," exclaimed Scorpius.

James laughed, "You're just worried because the Dementors are there, Malfoy."

"I wouldn't be laughing right now if I were you, James," warned Ginny. "Now apologize to Scorpius so we can move on."

James gaped at his mother with his jaw open. "No, I'm not apologizing to this, stupid git."

"I wouldn't accept an apology from you anyway, Potter," said Scorpius superiorly. They sneered at each other.

"On the upside, this time the detention will be a lot easier than the greenhouse," said Neville optimistically.

"You deserve a raise, Neville," muttered Harry.

The Headmistress nodded as she said, "Very well, you two will be assisting Professor Longbottom and Professor Larkin as I recall your expedition was for gathering herbs for potions against creatures from the Dark Arts. Professor Larkin was going to be involved. You are also not allowed to go to Hogsmeade until the spring or at the discretion of your parental guardians."

"James, your mother and I have more to discuss with you, if it's all right you won't be going to class until later," said Harry as he looked to the Headmistress.

James looked ill. He would rather be at class than have a talk about what had happened. The Headmistress wasn't done yet. "James will also be suspended from the house team as well as your duties as captain."

Neville protested, "Professor McGonagall, you can't do that to Gryffindor. James is the seeker and captain. We're going up against the Ravenclaws next week. We can't possibly find a replacement in that time."

Harry's jaw had dropped as he added, "The house could lose the cup. Perhaps, there's another way around this."

"Surely, Mr. Potter, you're not about to use your influence to help your son get away with his poorly judged actions, are you?" asked the Headmistress coolly.

Scorpius was at a disadvantage. He didn't have his parents to champion him out of punishment. He didn't know about the number of times his grandfather had stepped in and fixed his father's mistakes as a child. James looked worried as he glanced at his mother. "I think it's fair," said Ginny quietly. "You made a choice, James. You decided on your own to pick a fight that you didn't even win. Now everyone will have to pay the price and hopefully you'll learn something from this."

"But, Mum!" exclaimed James futility.

"As for you, Scorpius, your grandmother will be given a full report of your actions as well," said the Headmistress.

Scorpius nodded, "I understand."

Neville sighed as he glanced at Harry, who looked like he was thinking about whether or not he would try to get his son out of trouble. Instead, Harry said, "I am very disappointed in you, James." James slumped in his chair at this point.

Neville got up and had Scorpius by the collar. "You and I are going to have a discussion and you'll write a letter to your grandmother telling her exactly what happened," he told his charge. "I must go to my classes. You don't get out of your classes. You are also to be restricted from leaving your dorms except for meals and classes. And detention."

"Yes, Professor," sighed Scorpius.

"Then you both will not be expelled," concluded Professor McGonagall. "You're all dismissed." They left and as they did the Headmistress shook her head. It seemed like it was a family dispute gone awry.

* * *

Author's Note: I had a fun time with this chapter as well. I have a lot of handwritten material that I have a hard time transcribing when I'm with family. They don't quite get that writing is work. It's a long weekend for me.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	48. Part 48: Towards Hagrid's Hut

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Forty-Eight: Towards Hagrid's Hut

Scorpius was allowed to return to class. Professor Longbottom had informed Filch about Scorpius' restrictions as well as Borgin. At Herbology, the Gryffindors, most of them, wouldn't look at him. Albus barely spoke to him, but Fred had switched with Rose to be Scorpius' partner. Fred gave him a wink as they both sat down.

"How'd it go?" he whispered.

"Terrible," replied Scorpius. "What did you expect? Your aunt and uncle were there."

Fred raised an eyebrow. "Oh. James is still alive, isn't he? His mum must be really, really mad."

"He's fine," said Scorpius dismissively as Professor Longbottom placed their graded assignments in front of them.

"Get to work. Both of you," said Professor Longbottom.

Scorpius winced as Fred shrugged. "By the way, I think Albus knows what's going on with you and Lily," he told Scorpius covertly as the professor moved on.

Scorpius hissed, "There's nothing going on."

"Did something happen?" asked Fred. Roxanne didn't tell him anything and he didn't think to ask her. He peered into Scorpius' face.

"Get away from me," drawled Scorpius.

Fred's eyes were practically glittering. He said, "Interesting."

Scorpius rolled his eyes. He'd swear if his mum hadn't been so adamant of it being wrong. Any swearing he learned was from his dad. He turned his head slightly and saw Albus and Rose getting to work. He caught Albus' eye for a split second, then he turned to Fred. "Thanks for still talking to me, Fred."

Fred chuckled as they got to their feet and put on their gloves. "No problem, Score. You never make things boring."

Albus and Lily were summoned to meet their parents and James for tea in the afternoon. As they walked there, Albus as gently as possible broached the subject that Lily had been avoiding since breakfast. "Lil, you do know what's got James all riled up?" he asked her. "And don't lie to me. You can get away with it with him, but I know when you're lying."

"I really don't want to talk to you about it, Al," said Lily with a sigh.

"I know," said Albus. "He's my best mate, Lil, so he's not just any bloke. Besides, he's too old for you. It's too weird."

"Dad married Mum, and he and Uncle Ron are best friends," pointed out Lily.

Albus shrugged, "Yeah, but that's different. And who said anything about marrying?"

"It's just an example," said Lily. "This is why I don't like talking about this with you or James. You don't know anything about girls."

"I've known you since I was two," said Albus. "You're as stubborn as a pig. Scorpius has enough complications without having to deal with James because of you."

"I know!" cried Lily. "Don't you think I know about that, Al? I really like him. He's probably the only boy who might like me for me and not because I'm a Potter."

Albus was startled and asked, "Does he like you? " He couldn't tell what was worse: Scorpius liking her back or leading her on just to be nice.

"I don't know," admitted Lily miserably. "He said that I could do better than him. What complications?"

The answers sat on Albus' tongue. He wasn't about to reveal his friend's secrets just to discourage his sister. "Scorpius has loads of things he worries about, Lil. He doesn't like to ever talk about the things that worry him the most. He keeps it bottled up. It not that he doesn't trust anyone, but I don't think even his grandmother knows everything."

Lily said, "I know about the scar, Al."

Albus' eyes widened. "You know? How?" he asked.

Lily wasn't about to give away how she visited Scorpius in the infirmary shortly after his aunt died. "It was obvious," said Lily. "He didn't want to go swimming on the hottest day of the summer." She could at least appear clever.

"It's from when his parents died. It's like Dad's scar," said Albus. He shook his head and added, "Dad's scar was just a flesh wound."

"What really happened to him? It looks too big to be a flesh wound."

"It wasn't," Albus said vaguely. He saw their parents and forced a smile on his face. His face had darkened for an instant, but their mum was coming. "Hi, Mum! Did you come to take James home?"

"No, I'm still here," said James. "What did Malfoy tell you?"

"I haven't talked to him all day thanks to you. He's working with Fred. I got stuck with Rose. I forgot how bossy she could be."

"Hi Daddy," greeted Lily as she hugged her dad.

Harry held her longer than he did when his sons. "Hi, poppet," he murmured.

Ginny said to Albus, "Rose isn't too bad, Al."

"No," agreed Albus, "but at least Scorpius talks about more than the lesson."

Harry said, "We had a long talk about it. James, Neville didn't mention it, but Scorpius has been taking extra assignments and tutoring from him in DADA techinques. If he seriously dueled you, he would have taken you out quicker."

James' jaw dropped, and then he recovered, "You mean that prat didn't fight back, even if he could?"

"Obviously, he has some common sense," said Albus. "Because chatter says it's your fault."

James glared at him. Harry said, "Let's just try and behave, boys. I'm famished. It's been a long day."

The children glanced at each other. They knew that Hagrid's cooking wasn't really for the faint of heart and the weak of stomach. "Don't worry," said Ginny. "We brought some food for all of us to share while we have tea." She put her arm around Lily's shoulders. The children were breathing a sigh of relief. They went inside the hut.

Scorpius had a bad feeling about the detention and his grandmother was noticeably slow in writing him about the latest incident. It didn't bode well for Scorpius because he knew the longer it took for his grandmother to write, the more creative the punishment was going to be. Scorpius was not looking forward to it.

The Gryffindor were awry of him still, but in a strange about face, the Slytherins imparted some begrudging respect towards Scorpius. Knocking out and benching the Gryffindor captain for several games was an improvement in their eyes. Scorpius was less than thrilled. Albus had thawed out after a day or two and started talking to Scorpius again.

They kept their talking mostly school related because Scorpius couldn't leave his dorms outside of meals, classes, and detention. James didn't mind it, but Scorpius did. He was close to going stir crazy most of the time in the Slytherin dorms. Unfortunately, there was a victim in this that he hadn't anticipated: Artemis.

Scorpius visited her often and spoiled her with owl treats and when he didn't go and see her for a week, she wasn't happy with him at all. In fact, she refused to give him his mail. "I'm sorry," muttered Scorpius. "I've got an owl treat for you." Artemist turned her tail feathers at him, clutching the letter in her beak. "Don't be like that."

Albus laughed, "She's mad at you because you haven't been visiting her."

"Probably," agreed Scorpius. "Sorry, Artemist, but I've got restrictions and detentions. I'm not ignoring you."

Artemist eyed him with her amber eyes. If an owl could be skeptical it was Artemis. Scoprius held out the treat. She lowered her head and he snatched the letter and she took the treat. She clicked her beak at him. He stroked her feathers. "Oh, it's from my grandmother," he announced glumly.

"Really?" asked Albus. "I wonder what took her so long."

Scorpius set it down. "I'm scared to open it."

Fred said, "At least, it's not a howler."

"Give me that," said Albus as he took it and opened it. He skimmed it and folded it back up. "Your gran knows you very well."

"What? What she'd say?" demanded Scorpius with alarm as he snatched the letter back. He read it and scowled. "Why couldn't she just send me up on the roof again?"

"What is it?" asked Fred.

Scorpius replied, "They're breaking ground on Christmas Day at St. Mungo's and I'm the one they want to do it. It's for the new children's wing."

Fred glanced at Albus, then back at Scorpius, "But why?"

"It's the children's ward," said Albus with emphasis. "The one that Scorpius donated his inheritance from his aunt and uncle to."

Scorpius grumbled, "They're doing it on the anniversary. That's horrible. How could they have a party like that when they just died a year ago?"

Fred and Albus glanced at each other. They didn't want to point out that it was also Scorpius' birthday and the anniversary of his parents' murders as well. "Your gran does know you hate being the center of attention, right? Maybe that's why," said Albus.

"No, she wouldn't have come up with something like this on her own," said Scorpius slowly. He looked up at the faculty table. Professor Longbottom was talking to Larkin. "Your godfather is a lot more cunning than I thought, Al."

Albus glanced at his godfather and shrugged. "I'm almost jealous that he spends so much time together."

"I know," said Scorpius.

Albus said, "It's okay though. You need him more than I do, so I don't mind. I already share my dad and uncles with my sibs and cousins anyway."

"Let's talk about something else now, please?" asked Scorpius. "I've got other problems. It's bad enough this came up, but I have to go to the Forbidden Forest with James and Larkin tonight for gathering herbs."

"James got reamed by our parents," said Albus. "Dad actually stood by and let Professor McGonagall suspend him from the team."

"Your godfather objected, but as head of Gryffindor he wants to win the cup," said Scorpius. "Not that my house is a viable threat. It's the Ravenclaws who benefit the most from this. At least that's what I've heard. I don't go to the games."

"With James out, Louis is acting captain. He said that this is a disaster and he had a row with James," said Albus. "He called him a stupid idiot and some French words that shocked Dominique. It was nasty."

"I'm trying to practice those words. They might come in handy someday," said Fred.

Scorpius thought about it and asked, "Who's replacing him?"

"Louis has tryouts set up tonight," said Fred.

"I see," said Scorpius. "Why don't you try out, Al?"

Albus blanched at the idea. Fred looked at him intently, "Why don't you?"

"N-no," stammered Albus.

Scorpius smiled. It was the first real one he cracked in days. "I have my broom. I haven't really taken it out since I got here. I only brought it because you told me to," he said.

Albus empathetically shook his head. "I'm not seeker material. I'm barely chaser material," he protested. "It's James and Lily who fly and your broom, Scorpius, can fool anyone into thinking they can fly well."

"What about the pick-up games during the summer?" asked Scorpius. "You held your own."

"Don't forget the rest of the team, there's no need to worry if you're not spectacular at it. I think the fact that no one has seen you play and Scorpius' broom plus the family rep will intimidate Ravenclaw," said Fred.

Scorpius nodded, "So true. My dad said the best way to win a battle is to get them psychologically."

"See Al? Take it from the bloke who drove Tate mad," urged Fred.

"I'm not getting on the team just because I'm a Potter and I have Scorpius' broom," said Albus flatly.

"It won't hurt to try out," said Scorpius. "I'd like to see it, but I can't obviously."

Fred grinned as he nodded, "James won't be there either, so you don't have to worry."

"I can't," said Albus stubbornly.

Scorpius said, "Borrow my broom anyway and take it out. Go right now." He handed the key to Albus. "Fred will be waiting for you when you get back."

Scorpius waited until Albus was gone before he told Fred, "Make sure Louis sees him. Tell Louis what you told us."

"You are the worst Slythern ever," chuckled Fred, understanding Scorpius' plan exactly. "Your plotting against your own house just after they start to like you a little bit."

"I know," replied Scorpius as he grinned. "And I can't have that that. I've got to go. It's time for detention." He got up and went.

Scorpius was the second to arrive. Professor Larkin was there. The DADA teacher didn't completely disliked Scorpius. But he still thought like most of the teachers that Scorpius could stand to apply himself more. Larkin saw Scorpius' lack of effort as a disrespect, which was true and a waste.

"Good evening, Professor," said Scorpius blandly.

Professor Larkin nodded. Professor Longbottom and James arrive together. "Ah, Cyrus, always bang on time," said the Herbology professor brightly. "Are we ready?"

"Neville, this is detention, why the blazes are you always so cheerful?" asked Larkin.

James, who was sulking, muttered, "That's what I'm wondering, too."

"Think of this as an adventure, James," said Professor Longbottom. "Who knows what we'll find out here?"

"Giant spiders, unicorns, and centaurs," listed Scorpius.

James put in with an evil grin, "And Dementors. Let's not forget the Dementors."

"Come on, lift your feet boys, time's a wasting," said Professor Longbottom.

They brought torches with them that were flameless magic and ventured into the woods. "Potter, I hear your cousin has to have tryouts for a temporary seeker," drawled Scorpius in a manner not unlike his father.

James took the bait. "What's it to you, Malfoy? You're the one who doesn't care if your house wins or loses. Or is that it?"

Scorpius arched an eyebrow as he replied, "You are bonkers, Potter. Do you honestly have any wits about you? You think I planned an elaborate scheme to get you tossed as captain?"

"That's what I'm saying," snarled James. "I hate you, Malfoy."

"That's a bit harsh. I don't like you, but I don't hate you," said Scorpius.

"Enough, you two," interrupted Professor Longbottom. James went straight to hate with people all the time. The boys didn't say what had started the duel to begin with. Professor Longbottom had a feeling it was a red head, less than five feet tall, and weighed less than a hundred pounds. Professor Longbottom had a good laugh in his office after meeting with the Potters.

"All right let's get started," said Professor Larkin. "We'll split up to cover more ground."

The boys stepped away from each other and closer to the teacher they wanted to stick with. It was no surprise that James went with Larkin and Scorpius with Professor Longbottom. "I was thinking that you two go together and bring back the herbs, or what you think they might be, and then meet back here," said Professor Longbottom.

Professor Larkin said, "Is that a good idea, Neville? They're likely to either blow up the woods or finish each other off." He threw a meaningful glance at Scorpius, adding, "Malfoy must stay within the parameter of the woods."

"You and I put up those wards, Cyrus, we know how far they go," said Professor Longbottom. "Once you hit it Scorpius, you won't be able to go through it."

"Just me?" asked Scorpius.

"It's a safety measure," said Professor Longbottom. "It also keeps people who might do you harm out."

James looked mystified. He glanced at Scorpius. "I suppose we've got to keep Golden Boy safe. Heaven forbid something happens to him."

"I said I was sorry I knocked you out," said Scorpius.

"You never said that me directly. You're just sorry that happened to you."

"Oh? Good. I wouldn't want you to think I was. And I don't see why you're mad about it either. You attacked me first. It's not like I could have added to the blatant brain damage you already have."

"That's it!" declared James as he drew his wand. "You're going down, Death Eater Spawn!"

Scorpius didn't draw his wand. "James Sirius Potter put away your wand or I'll take it from you," warned Professor Longbottom sternly.

"Twice already in a week someone's used my whole name," grumbled James as he complied with the professor's order.

"At least your dad didn't stick you with Hyperion," muttered Scorpius.

Professor Larkin said, "Let's do this while we have some moonlight. Some of these plants only come out to soak it up."

"Go," urged Professor Longbottom. The boys started going in the direction that he was pointing in. He called after them, "And no fighting."

* * *

Author's Note: Ah, I am just glad to get more work done. The plot is now moving more forward.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	49. Part 49: The Forbidden Forest

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Forty-Nine: The Forbidden Forest

"You can carry the baskets," said James, shoving them at Scorpius.

"Carry one, Potter," said Scorpius, letting the other one drop. "Or are you so helpless that you can't carry a basket?"

James scowled at him, but picked it up. "I don't get what Al or Lily see in you," he told Scorpius.

"Neither do I," confessed Scorpius. "Especially Lily. I have no idea why she likes me, okay?"

James glared at him. He said, "Who are you really Malfoy? Everyone's so interested to know." They had their torches lit as they walked along.

"Why would I tell you anything about myself, Potter? You don't care either way," said Scorpius.

"You are a pompous, arrogant git," retorted James.

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "I could say the same thing about you, Potter."

"Everyone scrambles about, trying to keep you safe and sound like you're something important. It can't be just because you're rich," said James. He studied Scorpius a bit more. "You always have your hand your side. My dad talked about a shield. Al knows about this, doesn't he? He knows everything."

"Not everything, Potter," said Scorpius as he dropped his hand from his side.

"What are you hiding?" asked James as he rounded him. "You've got more secrets than anyone your age should."

Scorpius had his secrets. He liked his privacy because he didn't want people to see him for what he was. He was a coward. He knew it. He was ashamed it, hiding it under a cool, mysterious veneer. People thought he was perfect, almost a saint. They had no idea that he was flawed and that he couldn't even do what his father asked of him as he lay dying. Scorpius was not like his father. He couldn't be brave, so he let others do it.

He let people's futures flounder for over six months because he couldn't face his own fears and pain. He wasn't going to tell James Potter any of it. He was going to keep it locked in place. However, he said, "You are right though about your sister. She could do so much better than me."

James said, "At least we can agree on one thing."

"Let's just gather the herbs that Professor Longbottom wants," sighed Scorpius. He didn't want to talk to James anymore.

The boys did just that. They gathered the herbs, but they did it in silence. They met back at the spot that the professors told them where they were to meet. They went back to the castle, tired, and dirty. Filch was waiting as per orders to escort Scorpius back to the Slytherin dorms.

Scorpius still had the papers from the library that he had gathered. A letter came from his new correspondent, Pansy Parkinson. She didn't write because she wanted something from him. Or if she did, she wasn't clear on it. Scorpius kept it to himself.

_Dear Scorpius,_

_I was very happy to get a letter back from you. I am happy to share what I can remember of your aunt, even your father. Your aunt was one of my best friends. Possibly, the best friend I ever had. She was a beautiful woman in more ways than one. _

_I also mentioned that I knew your father. I knew him as a student. We were in the same year together. He was one of a kind. I have pictures of him that I would like to give to you. There were many of them, including ones of your uncle as well. _

_Sorry this letter is brief. I await more word from you._

_Sincerely,_

_Pansy Parkinson_

Scorpius wondered why this woman had reached out to him. Her letter was just as short as her first. Like the last letter, she enclosed a picture. This time it was one of his dad. His dad looked like he was about his age. His hair was slicked back and gave his dad a decidedly strange look. Scorpius almost laughed. He thought his dad looked like a prat. Scorpius added it to the picture he had of his aunt and Pansy.

He had to finish his homework, which meant staying in the common room for the night. It was rotten to have to stay in the dorms. The Slytherins left him alone still even though they had some admiration for him.

One of them burst in though around nine, announcing, "Albus Potter is the new seeker for the Gryffindor team."

"Bloody Hell, isn't there enough of them already?"

"He's got a Mach broom, too."

There were murmurs. Scorpius was the only one who was known to have one. Some of them looked at him, but he barely looked up from his schoolwork. "Malfoy, did you know that Potter was going to try out for the team?"

Scorpius looked up with a "who-me?" expression. He shrugged and said, "It's his choice. I've been in detention since I knocked out his brother." He hoped they were stupid enough to take his word for it.

"We'll see how it goes with the Ravenclaws, but you know that Potter is might be good," said someone else.

None of them ever asked Scorpius what he had done during the summer. "That team is run on epotism."

"Nepotism," corrected Scorpius without thinking. He felt the eyes on him as he lowered his head to go back to work. He let the conversation flow over him again as it went on as usual. He wasn't sure he liked them liking him even just a little bit.

The following morning, Scorpius heard a glowing play by play from Fred of how the tryouts went. "You gotta to go to the next game," said Fred at the end.

"I haven't been to a game since my third year," said Scorpius.

James glowered. He wasn't in a good mood, but he said, "We can't go. Malfoy and I have detention during the game."

"You won't be able to see Al play," said Lily with some surprise. Albus was with Louis going over some place at the field.

"No," said James. He sounded wistful. "I would have liked to see it. Maybe give him some pointers before takes the pitch on Saturday."

"You're underestimating him," said Scorpius. "No wonder Al didn't think he was good at Quidditch."

"I'm not underestimating him," muttered James. "What's it to you? He's not your brother. What do you know about having a brother anyway?"

Scorpius was an only child, the only child really in the entire table. He shrugged as Lily glanced at him. "James, the sooner you finish your detention, the sooner you can get back to the team," she said simply.

James glanced at Scorpius, then at his sister. He realized that the great thing about the detention was that his sister and Scorpius weren't going to be alone at all. His mother was right: there was an upside to everything. Sure, James didn't like Scorpius, but the alternative was much worse in his opinion.

"Why aren't you sitting with your house?" asked James. "Can't you make friends with your own housemates?"

"Those people?" snorted Scorpius. "They only like me because I knocked you out, but after four years of them ignoring me and calling me BT, like I don't know what that means, no thanks."

"What does 'BT' stand for?" asked Fred.

"Blood traitor," replied Scorpius with a shrug. "It doesn't matter to me. I take it as a compliment. Besides, Potter called me worse things last night." Fred raised an eyebrow as he glanced at James.

"And I meant every word of it," sneered James.

"You called me 'Death Eater Spawn' that's low even for you, Potter," said Scorpius.

"It's true, Malfoy. Your father and grandfather were Death Eaters," said James.

Scorpius sat still. "My dad was a good man like yours," he said quietly. "Don't you dare judge my father the same as Lucius. You haven't got the right. No one does." That heavy feeling settled on his chest. It was a familiar one.

James suddenly felt like not talking. He recognized that tone. It was very eerie to hear it from Scorpius. It was the same haunted one he had heard from his own father. It was different though. It was profound sadness that chilled him to the quick.

On the Saturday of the Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw match, Albus was so nervous that he almost didn't eat any breakfast. It was James who had to practically force toast down his throat. "We're not going to test the Mach's safety features, when you faint up there," he told his brother sternly.

Albus was so stuffed with toast that he couldn't say anything. He had to have some pumpkin juice just to get it down. "Remember when you're out there, you're not just representing our house, but the family," said James. He saw Albus' eyes widened. He hastily added, "Never mind. Forget I said that last bit. You'll be fine."

Scorpius had come down a bit late for breakfast. He wasn't dressed to go outside, knowing that he and James would be under Filch's supervision in the trophy room. Neither boy was looking forward to cleaning by hand. Albus swallowed by this point. He greeted, "Morning, Score."

"Morning, Al," greeted Scorpius. He took a seat.

Scorpius was moving back and forth between the tables like it was nothing. He sat where he felt like. It was just downright brazen and cocky of him to assume that he could go wherever he liked. Some considered him a bad influence on others. Naomi walked up to them from her own table. "Good luck," she said to them, giving Albus a disarming smile.

"Come on, Naomi, stop talking to them," said one of her friends.

"But Malfoy's talking them," she said.

"His house isn't the one who's playing them," pointed out her other friend.

With a quick wave, Naomi was gone. James shook his brother, ordering. "Stay focus, Al."

Filch had appeared with Mrs. Norris walking alongside him. Scorpius could only have a piece of toast and a swig of pumpkin juice. "Malfoy. Potter. You're with me," he said in a snarl.

"Yes, Mr. Filch," nodded Scorpius as he got to his feet.

James stood up. "Later tell me now it goes," he said to Louis.

The boys were ushered into the trophy room. There were so many of them. "Oh bugger," muttered James under his breath.

Scorpius swallowed a sigh. "I didn't know the school had so many trophies," he said after a moment.

"Almost every trophy from when the school first started is here, Malfoy," said Filch. "You'll probably find a few with your surname on it."

"Bully for me," muttered Scorpius, unable to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.

The boys got to work after Filch left them. There were sponges and buckets for water and soap. They worked on the opposite sides to avoid each other. Scorpius set to work on his side, scrubbing down a trophy that came to Hogwarts over twenty years ago. "Blimely," he said. "Potter, your dad's name is on this one!"

James strode over. "Harry James Potter," the trophy read. "Champion of the Triwizard Tournament."

"I thought that it was banned," said Scorpius.

"It was after one of the contestants was killed by Voldemort. It was all an elaborate trap to get to my dad, so it was never done again after that point," said James. Scorpius gave him a quizzical look. "I didn't even know that there was a trophy. They must have made it, but my dad never claimed it. It's a long story though. My dad doesn't talk about it much."

"Yeah, but you do," said Scorpius. "People have great things to say about your dad." Scorpius knew his dad had done a lot of terrible things, but his dad also had done a lot of good things that he never took credit for. He handed the trophy to James. "Here, you get to clean this."

"Thanks," sighed James.

The boys were still cleaning as the game ended. The Gryffindors were victorious, winning by fifty points, which meant that James was going to be greeted by a party upon his return to his common room. At least James had something to enjoy before they had to spend Saturday night in the woods again.

Detention at night in the Forbidden Forest filled Scorpius with dread, even though he didn't show it. Albus was extremely happy that he proved himself. He gave him a play by play as they walked together to where Scorpius was going to meet for the detention expedition. "I just wish I could say it was all me, but your broom did most of the work," concluded Albus.

"Not really true, Al," said Scorpius. "The broom can't detect the snitch. Only the seeker does." He was the first one there this time.

"Rotten luck going into the forest again," said Albus. "But you'll be all right."

"If only that were true," said Scorpius gloomily.

Albus grinned as he said in a lower voice, "But it's still kind of worth it, after knocking James out. There aren't very many people younger than him who can put him in his place."

Scorpius laughed as James snorted, "That was a lucky shot."

"Yeah, let's call it that," said Scorpius smugly.

James ignored him. He told Albus, "You'd better go before Larkin makes you come with us."

Albus nodded and started to take off. He called back, "Later, Score!" His friend waved.

Soon the professors showed up and they trooped out into the woods. They split up again. Scorpius didn't like how dark it was getting as they got deeper and deeper into the woods. James decided to play a joke. Scorpius didn't like James, but he hated being alone more in the woods than having James around. "I'm going over there," said James, nodding at the slight decline in the terrain.

Scorpius nodded, preferring to stay closer to the path. He watched James disappear, but he could still see the light of his torch. It was cold and Scorpius could feel the chill of winter coming. Scorpius lit his wand for addition light, "_Lumos_."

Apprehension gripped him as the trees got larger and fuller. It felt like the forest was closing in around him. The air was getting misty and a fog was starting to collect. Scorpius turned to look at where he saw James go off. "Potter?" he called. "Where are you?" He craned his neck back to the slope again, back to the exact spot where James had gone down. The light from James' torch was obscured by the fog that was now surrounding them. Scorpius could see it, and then it was gone.

Scorpius heard a rustling. His scar started to throb as he looked around. His breathing became ragged as he realized he was alone. The last time he had felt this alone was on the worst day of his life. He bit his lip to keep from going into a panic.

Scorpius walked towards the slope. He called again, "Potter!" A hand clamped over his shoulder and he screamed, "AH!"

James had popped up right next to him. He started roaring with laughter. "Oh, you should have seen the look on your face, Malfoy!" he exclaimed gleefully.

Scorpius was trembling with rage. He was gripping the torch and basket in his right hand and his wand in his left so tightly that his knuckles had turned almost white. He dropped it all in an instant and shoved James hard. "It's not funny, Potter!" he shouted furiously.

James nearly fell, but shoved Scorpius back. Scorpius staggered. "For Merlin's sake, Malfoy, can't you take a joke?"

Scorpius tripped over the basket and fell hard on his backside. "Jokes aren't funny when they're cruel, Potter," he retorted. He got up by rocking his hips forward and landing on his feet. He picked up the basket and the torch. "Where'd my wand go?" he asked as he looked around.

"Dunno," shrugged James. "It must have rolled down there." He pointed at the slope.

Scorpius grumbled as he lit the torch and started down. He saw it, but the wand had rolled under a bush. It was just out of reach, so Scorpius had to go further down to get to it. Then he heard a voice. It was a very familiar one; one he had heard long before he was born. One so similar to his own that James at first didn't know that it wasn't him.

Scorpius looked up. He saw his father. He was dressed the same way he was the day he had died. "Scorpius," his father told him. Scorpius nearly fell again. "How could you be such a coward? You are a disappointment. I died to keep you alive and you are nothing more but a failure. You should have died. I should have let you die. I told you with my last breath—"

"_Riddikulus!"_ shouted James.

The boggart burst like a balloon and floated away. Scorpius grabbed his wand and sat down on the dirt. He sat there in silence. James was almost as shaken as he walked to the edge of the slope. "Malfoy, are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Scorpius hoarsely as he wiped his face with the back of his hand. "Thanks, Potter."

James could see how much paler Scorpius was. He didn't have to ask him about the form that the boggart took. He also didn't ask if Scorpius needed a hand. James figured that Scorpius needed a few moments to collect his dignity. "By the way, sorry about earlier, I didn't mean to scare you that much," said James almost sheepishly.

"It's all right," sighed Scorpius as he got back up. This time he used his arms and hands to get up. He dusted his pants and walked back up the slope.

James for once was at a loss for words. Scorpius moved like he was in pain, clutching his side. He picked up the basket and put the torch inside it. "Let's just finish up already. The sooner we get out of here, the better."

James couldn't agree more, so he just nodded.

* * *

Author's Note: James isn't all bad just as Scorpius isn't all good. I'd say that James is sort of like Malfoy in the original, but he does have some redeeming qualities. Unlike Malfoy in the original. Or perhaps he takes after his namesakes. I like writing James' character a lot. He struck me as obnoxious from the first time I read him.

One would think that Scorpius' greatest fear would be the person who is trying to kill him. Go figure. His fear is the opposite of his father's in this story. Draco was afraid of being like his father and his son is afraid of being nothing like him.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	50. Part 50: In DADA Class

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Fifty: In DADA Class

James didn't tell anyone about Scorpius' encounter with the boggart. He told himself to save it as blackmail material for later. Of course now James knew Scorpius' biggest fear. Alas, there was no way for James to use it against him. James wished that Scorpius had more mundane fears like spiders and high places.

On the very last detention in the woods, the boys decided to go another way because it was easier. James didn't taunt Scorpius' suggestion. "I hope my parents ease up by Christmas," said James. "My mum is still mad."

"No such luck for me," said Scorpius. "I have to be at St. Mungo's for a groundbreaking ceremony. I'd rather not do it."

"Big deal," muttered James. "I wouldn't mind."

"You wallow in the attention, Potter. Some of us would rather be left alone."

"Better than having both my mum and dad on my case."

Scorpius said, "At least you've got them around to be on your case. You want to trade?"

"No," replied James.

"Yeah, I'd trade you in a heartbeat."

The boys fell into silence as they walked towards the other end of the forest. The Forbidden Forest acted as one of the natural barriers of the school. Anyone who has read _Hogwarts: A History_ would know all of the barriers, but neither boy had. Scorpius had never really ventured into the forest until this point of his school. James on the other hand was more at ease because he and his friends had gone into the forest a few times.

However, that was more along edge closest to the school. This time they were headed into unfamiliar territory. "I don't see any of this moss, Potter," said Scorpius. "Do you?"

"No," answered James. "Maybe there's something over there." He walked up to a point where the trees were thinning out.

"How far from the castle are we?" wondered Scorpius.

"No idea," said James. He walked through the edge. "Come on, Malfoy."

Scorpius had little choice, but to follow. He got to the edge and ran into something solid. "Ow!" he exclaimed. It really hurt as if he had running headlong into a wall.

James turned and saw Scorpius stumbled back. "What now, Malfoy?" he asked in an exasperated tone.

Scorpius blinked as he rubbed his head. "I think I just hit that barrier that Professor Longbottom was talking about."

"Oh, really?"

"That means you're not on school grounds, Potter. You'll have to come back."

James took a very dramatic, deep breath. "Ah, the sweet air of freedom. Too bad you can't have it, Malfoy."

"You idiot, it's the same air around us," snapped Scorpius. "Get back here!"

"Relax, Malfoy," said James. "You're wound too tight."

The air chilled as the mist gathered. The light dimmed around them. "What is going on now?" asked Scorpius out loud. He had had enough of detention and the woods. All he wanted to do was go home.

James pointed at something. "We should probably get out of here," he said. "Run!"

There was a black cloud coming towards them. It was moving very rapidly. James raced back through the barrier. Scorpius could see it. The cloud wasn't a cloud. It was many Dementors moving in formation, obviously drawn to the human emotion that came from them. "What happened to you wanting to see me faint?" asked Scorpius as James ran back towards him.

"There's a whole swarm of them!" exclaimed James. "I'm not crazy. We haven't got a chance unless we can conjure a Patronus."

"Aren't you supposed to be learning how?"

"It's in the Spring term!"

"Great, we're going to get our souls sucked because of Larkin's lesson plans!" shouted Scorpius as they started to run. Scorpius didn't make it very far. Voices started echoing in his head. It made his scar burn as he clutched his hands at his ears.

_"Run! Get him out of here! Draco!"_

_"PLEASE NOT MY SON! I'M THE ONE YOU WANT! NOT MY SON!"_

James' voice broke through as the Dementors were nearly descended upon them. "Malfoy! Snap out of it!"

Scorpius drew his wand. Happy thoughts. Happy memories. "Malfoy, what are you doing? They're almost here! We have to get out of here now!"

Scorpius dug in deep as he searched his mind for a memory, searching for something to grab onto to stop the voices screaming in his head. It was James' voice that cut through. He wanted him to shut up. His voice sounded so close to his father's just like Albus'. Their father told him that sometimes something else could help conjure a Patronus. Music in the form of sound and notes filled his mind as he concentrated.

"_EXPECTO PATRONUM!"_

James stepped back as a gigantic dragon spun out of silver light erupted from the tip of Scorpius' wand. It took to the air and flew straight for the Dementors that had fast approached them, attacking them just as Scorpius collapsed.

Professor Longbottom saw the swarm of Dementors, and he and Larkin were ready to conjure their patronus. Then Larkin said, "What in Merlin's beard is that? It's a dragon, a silver dragon."

"It's a Patronus," whispered Professor Longbottom with a chuckle. "I knew he could do it."

The dragon patronus fired flames of silver light driving out the rest of the Dementors before shimmering away. "I've never seen one so corporeal before," said Larkin in an awestruck voice. "Who could have conjured that?"

"It should be obvious who conjured it, Cyrus," laughed Professor Longbottom.

"Malfoy? Really, Malfoy? The same lad who barely paying attention in my class and turns in just bare bones work? That Malfoy?" demanded Professor Larkin. He growled, "I knew he was holding out on me."

"Professor Longbottom! Professor Larkin!" shouted James.

Hearing the alarm in James' voice, they ran towards him. James was using his ward to magnify his voice. The professor got to their students. Professor Longbottom paled a bit. "We saw the Dementors," he said to James. "And Scorpius' patronus."

"How did you know it was his?" asked James.

"Because his father was the dragon," replied Neville. "Draco is Latin for dragon." He knelt down next to Scorpius.

"He's out cold," James said. "I mean as soon as the Dementors got close he kind of went out of it."

Neville looked in his pockets. He had chocolate this time. He always packed some just in case. He tossed one to James. "Eat all of it, James."

James unwrapped the bar and broke off a piece. Neville opened the other bar and used his wand. "_Ennervate,_" he said and Scorpius' eyes opened. He opened his mouth to speak, but the professor shoved the chocolate into his mouth. Scoprius sat up a bit to stop from choking. "I know you don't like chocolate, but we're not leaving until you're done, Scorpius."

Larkin said in a gruff voice, "Malfoy, you're going to demonstrate your patronus in class tomorrow."

Scorpius nearly choked at that. He started coughing, and Professor Longbottom patted his back. "What do you mean? I fainted again."

"You didn't see your patronus?" asked Professor Longbottom.

Scorpius shook his head as he shoved another piece of chocolate into his mouth. He could feel his insides warm up. "I saw it up close," said James. "How did you do it?"

"Almost a year worth of practice," said Professor Longbottom.

Professor Longbottom grinned. "Oh, I've given him extra work, Cyrus. Based on the work, he's done; he's well ahead of your course."

"I knew you were holding out on me, Malfoy," Professor Larkin repeated as he scrutinized Scorpius.

Scorpius swallowed the chocolate as he got up. He shrugged. "Sorry?" he offered. "But just the same, I'm not going in front the class tomorrow to show any patronus." He bit off another piece of chocolate.

"It's either that or another night here," said Larkin.

"That's not fair," muttered Scorpius. He sighed, "Fine, but only if the restrictions are lifted, too. I'm going mad in the dorms."

"Deal," agreed Professor Longbottom.

James cut it, "What about me?"

"Oh, I forgot about you," said Scorpius. He thought about it. "Well, he did help with the boggart last night, so I guess the deal's off, if Potter doesn't get off, too." He finished off his chocolate.

"What boggart?" asked Professor Larkin.

Scorpius looked at James. Now would have been a great time for James to humiliate Scorpius. James answered, "It was no big deal."

"Fine, then. It's a deal," said Professor Longbottom. "Now let's go inside for some hot cider and hot chocolate."

Scorpius knew growing up that life wasn't fair as his parents told him all too frequently. It was confirmed on his thirteenth birthday. He knew that in life one had to do things they didn't like to do. He was sure that conjuring up his patronus was a fluke and it was almost a certainty that he wouldn't be able to do it again. He envisioned himself standing in front of the class waving his wand like a fool.

He didn't tell Albus and Fred about the deal. James knew, but he didn't feel like sharing. Scorpius wished he had seen his patronus. The teachers and James had seen it. He wanted to see if he could conjure it again without anyone watching him. There was no time though because even though the detention and restrictions were lifted, classes were still on and there was a lot to do before the winter holiday.

As the Christmas holidays drew near, the school was being decorated to reflect the season just as the snow was starting to fall. Every year, Professor Flitwick decorated the little patch of swamp that was in the corridor near the DADA class. It was the remaining part of a spectacular prank that Fred's father helped devised. The boys walked by it on the way to the DADA class.

Scorpius nearly had an anxiety attack before. Ron Weasley had to talk him with into playing at his aunt's funeral. He was able to get through it because playing the piano was as natural as breathing to him, but this was different Scorpius had almost a decade worth of practice to get his piano playing perfected.

"Scorpius, you look as green as the tie you're wearing," observed Fred. "Are you okay, mate?"

"No," gasped Scorpius, shaking his head. He loosened his tie.

Albus said, "Breathe all right. Just breathe."

Scorpius drew in a deep breath. Happy thoughts. He needed some happy thoughts. "One of you hit me with a cheering charm, please," he said.

The cousins glanced at each other. "Why?" asked Fred.

"Just do it," muttered Scorpius.

Albus pulled out his wand. "We can't do this in the hallway," he said. "But you'll tell us why we're doing this."

"You'll see."

"Fine," said Albus as he did the spell. Scorpius felt warmed from the inside. Albus and Fred went with him into the classroom.

Professor Larkin spotted Scorpius and gestured for him to come forward. Albus winced and Fred's eyes widened. Scorpius could only hope that the Cheering Charm's effects would hold. The class was gathering and murmuring, wondering why Scorpius was up front with Professor Larkin.

"Relax, Malfoy," said Professor Larkin.

Scorpius said, "I wish people would stop telling me to relax."

"Okay, everyone," started Professor Larkin. "You're about to get a taste of your fifth year course work. Can anyone tell me what one needs to combat a Dementor?"

Hands shot up, Rose Weasley's was almost always first. Larkin nodded at her, and she promptly answered, "A Patronus charm and chocolate."

"Excellent, five points to Gryffindor. Can anyone tell me what form a Patronus takes?"

Albus raised his hand for this one. "Potter."

"A Patronus assumes the form based on the caster's preference. Forms can change over time, but it depends on the caster's," answered Albus.

"Five to Gryffindor. Can anyone tell the class what the incantation is?"

One of the Ravenclaws took the question. "Expecto Patronum. However, the caster must call upon a happy memory to cast a corporeal patronus. It takes time and practice," answered the Ravenclaw.

Scorpius gripped his wand. The Cheering Charm started to wear off. Scorpius' face was impassive though. Another Cheering Charm would really hit the spot. Scorpius had to think. He remembered something his grandmother had said to him just before school had started. It was the reason why he thought of using the Cheering Charm in the first place.

She had told him that he looked like he had been hit by a Cheering Charm. Scorpius thought about the reason for it. Lily. He pressed his lips together. Larkin's voice cut through his thoughts. "You all are wondering why Malfoy's standing up here. He's going to cast his patronus."

"What?" asked Rose. "But how? We haven't gone over that, except for today. How is he ahead of us?"

Professor Larkin waved at her. "Miss Weasley, it doesn't matter. He's not going to get extra credit for it." He stepped backed from Scorpius. "Dazzle us, Malfoy."

Scorpius closed his eyes and squared his shoulders. "_Expecto Patronum,"_ he said in firm voice. He saw a rush of silver light and a dragon emerged from it.

"Whoa," said Fred.

Most of the others were struck dumb at the sight of it. Scorpius' eyes opened wide. The dragon seemed so real that its scales and spikes were defined. Its fangs and the rest of its teeth looked dangerous. Its wings were wide and took up a good portion of the front of the classroom. It flapped its wings, and Scorpius lowered his wand. The dragon turned to face him. It lowered its head. Scorpius didn't step back from it. It dissipated and shimmered away.

"Amazing!"

"That was wicked cool!"

"A dragon! It looked so real!"

Professor Larkin gave Scorpius a real smile. "Go on," he said. "Take your seat, Malfoy."

Scorpius' ears were red as he nodded and scurried back to his seat next to Albus. Albus stared at him. "Seriously, we should talk," he said.

Professor Larkin rubbed his hands together. "Enough of that, now on with class," he announced.

The rest of the class didn't go on as usual because Larkin stated calling on Scorpius without him volunteering. It was irritating. So much for doodling in class. Also he had earned his house a distressing ten points.

The rest of the school day wasn't any easier. Scorpius loathed the additional attention. Word of his patronus spread. There was something else on his mind. Something he had put off because he didn't want to think of it. He separated from his friends to pay Professor Longbottom a visit.

The professor looked as if he was on his way home, but stopped when he saw Scorpius. "I'm sorry, Professor, to come without an appointment, but I need to speak with you," said Scorpius in a formal tone.

Professor Longbottom offered him a seat. "No, my door is always open," he told him. "What's the problem?"

"Did Larkin tell you about class today?"

"Yes," smiled Professor Longbottom. "Very impressive, Scorpius." He saw the harsh look on Scorpius' face. "You're mad, but at what?"

"Everyone is talking about me again. Again," replied Scorpius.

"You've had a busy year so far, Scorpius, and you're not even halfway through."

Scorpius decided to go for the direct approach. "My grandmother said that I have to be at St. Mungo's on Christmas Day to break the ground on the new children's ward. But you know what I think?"

"No, tell me."

"I don't think it was her idea."

Professor Longbottom said, "You are right. It wasn't her idea. It was mine."

Scorpius was stupefied at that. He recovered somewhat and sputtered, "B-but why?" he demanded.

"Because you need to."

"That's not a reason, Professor," said Scorpius, trying to keep calm. "My dad used to do that all the time. Because. Because. Because. It wasn't an answer."

"Tell me something how did you celebrate your birthday last year?"

"What does that have to do with anything? You know what I did last Christmas."

"You didn't celebrate it."

"No, of course not. Why would I? My family was murdered two years in a row. It's hard enough trying to celebrate Christmas."

Professor Longbottom softened a bit. "Your parents died to make sure that you'd have all your birthdays after they were gone. It's disrespectful of you not to even acknowledge the sacrifice they made for you," he told Scorpius.

Scorpius was stunned again. Professor Longbottom went on, "Your grandmother is trying to protect you, so much so that you aren't equipped to handle the attention. You want be normal, but you're not."

"You really know where to hit a person, don't you, Professor?" asked Scorpius after a few moments.

Professor Longbottom sighed, "I don't like playing dirty, but you forced me to. I want you to understand something. You need to celebrate because that bloody murderer is out there. By not even acknowledging it, you let that bastard take something else from you. Don't let him take anything else from you."

Scorpius had never heard his teacher talk like that. His mum would be appalled of such language. "I am okay with a small party, but why St. Mungo's? I don't understand."

"You wonder why no one will leave you alone. Has it not occurred to you that if you give a little they'll leave you alone? You're just drawing more interest by hiding. You need to this for yourself. You need to show the world that you are so much more than the victim. You need to show that you're still here and that you are a survivor."

Scorpius nodded and bit his lip, and then asked, "Will you be there?"

"It just so happens I visit St. Mungo's every year on Christmas," replied the professor.

"So you'll be there?"

"Definitely. I promise," vowed Professor Longbottom with a smile. "Now, you should go and do some homework and have some fun before bed. Good night, Scorpius."

* * *

Author's Note: This was a longer chapter than I had intended. I did write the bulk of it at work, using paper and my iPod touch. Scorpius can act like he's mature for his age, but underneath he's just vulnerable. This chapter and the one before it were split because it was running extremely long.

Reviewers have said that it would be nice if Scorpius formed a bond with Harry, who he is still in awe of. Neville is his mentor much like Lupin was to Harry. Harry is more like Arthur in a way. Arthur always hung back a bit when it came to Harry.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	51. Part 51: The Room of Requirement

The Inquisitors Son

Part Fifty-One: The Room of Requirement

The mood began to change as Christmas came. That it is it became more festive as the holidays approached for most, but Scorpius' mood predictably became dark and solemn. He didn't burden his feelings to anyone at school or at home. He found solace in writing Pansy.

_Dear Ms. Parkinson,_

_How are you? I wish I could say that this time of year is my favorite. It used to be, but not anymore. I am irritated when people ask if I'm fine. What am I suppose to say? That everything is fine and jolly?_

_My best mate can't possible understand what it feels like to feel isolated and alone, even you're surrounded by people all the time. He means well. I don't want to be angry and jealous of him because he has things I miss and want. But I am. Am I a horrid person for it?_

_You knew my dad. I'd imagine him saying he's disappointed in me. It's hard to say because I learned much more about him after he died than before. Tell me, what did you know?_

_Regards,_

_Scorpius_

Scorpius was still restricted from going to Hogsmeade as was James. It wasn't as if Scorpius wanted to go in the first place. James watched over Lily, who wasn't old enough to go. James played a round of chess with Hugo, while Roxanne and Lily watched. Seeing Scorpius with his violin case, James asked, "Where are you off to, Malfoy?"

Scorpius was so tempted to tell James it wasn't his business, but he civilly replied, "Getting some violin practice in, Potter."

"I didn't know you played the violin," piped up Hugo.

"I've been playing since I was four. My mum taught me," Scorpius told him.

Roxanne said, "I thought that you only played the piano."

"My dad taught me," said Scorpius. "They were both very proud of their talents, but neither backed down on which I had to learn. The compromise was to learn both."

"That's not really a compromise," stated Lily.

"For them, it was. For me, it doubled my practice, but I couldn't do anything about that."

James said, "Funny, I thought dear old dad would have taught you more things like the Unforgivable Curses."

"James!" exclaimed Lily.

Scorpius drawled, "Really, Potter, between the four hours of music lessons and practice daily and the home schooling with brain teasers before story and bed, who had the time? Not my dad. He had his work to worry about."

"I thought my mum was bad," said Hugo. "My dad made her let us take a break. He was the one who suggested Muggle school for primary, saying the teachers would be easier on us than her."

"Really? That sounded more fun than home schooling with a Ravenclaw mum and a Slytherin dad."

"Now that makes sense," said James as Hugo took his bishop. "I used to think that the most evil combination is a Slytherin with another Slytherin, but we now know better. You take the cunning ambition of a Slytherin and the cold logic of a Ravenclaw, and we end up with you."

Scorpius gave a short laugh and rolled his eyes. "Oh, you think you're the first person to figure that out? My dad knew that for years." He held up his case for emphasis and said, "I'm off."

"I don't care, Malfoy," muttered James.

Hugo cheekily announced, "Checkmate!"

Scorpius could hear James groan as he walked away.

A letter came from Pansy in a few days. Scorpius was busy with all the schoolwork that the teachers enjoyed heaping on just before the holidays. Scorpius was more motivated for the distraction than his friends were.

The fifth years were starting to really drill for the O.. James' parents reminded him that he should have loads of free time. Louis had banned James from the practices on the grounds that he was more of a hindrance than a help. On the last game just before the end of the term, Scorpius was invited to attend on the Gryffindor side.

The game was against the Slytherins. Upon seeing their most well-known member in a red scarf, they were up in arms. "I can't believe Malfoy. He's at it again."

"Digusting blood traitor."

"Maybe his parents killed themselves out of embarassment."

They didn't lower their voices. Scorpius heard every word, so did the bulk of the Gryffindor table. He saw the way Albus' jaw tightened. Not a good sign. "Al, eat breakfast," he urged.

"How can you just sit there?"

Fred was also angry. "Oh, beating them today won't be good enough," he hissed.

"And they wonder why I'm not sitting with them. Don't worry about it," shrugged Scorpius. He ate some grapefruit and a couple of pieces of toast. He downed some orange juice instead of pumpkin juice.

When breakfast was over, practically the whole school trudged over to the pitch and the spectators climbed to the stands several feet off the ground. Scorpius ended up next to Hugo. James squeezed in between Lily and Scorpius. The latter almost laugh, while the former rolled her eyes. She sat next to Roxanne, who giggled.

The announcer was Alfred MacMillan of Hufflepuff. "And they're up."

Louis met face to face with the Slytherin captain, Flint. Madame Hooch waited as they shook hands and the quaffle was tossed up into the air. Madame Hooch blew her whistle and the game started.

Scorpius had brought his spy glass with him. He saw Albus take off higher as the Slytherin seeker followed suit. The snitch disappeared as soon as it was released.

James had a pair of binoculars. He was cursing under his breath as one of the Slytherin beaters, Banks, hit a bludger straight at the Gryffindor chasers.

Alfie gave his play by play, "That blighter Banks just hit the bludger straight for the Gryffindor chasers. Not to worry, Fred Weasley just hit blasted it back at the Slytherin chasers!"

Scorpius wasn't paying attention to what was going on. Instead he concentrated his efforts on looking for the elusive snitch. His father was a seeker and as such taught his son that it was what really won the game. Scorpius remembered the World Cup in Hong Kong that he and his dad attended. His dad said that a good seeker won't just look for the snitch. The spectators, some of them anyway, would be on the lookout for them.

He searched with his spy glass. He saw the snitch flickering in the distance. He put his spy glass away. "Can I borrow it, please?" asked Hugo.

Scorpius handed it to him. James glanced at him. "You hate having to sit here, don't you, Potter?"

"What do you think?" snorted James.

"I think Al is just fine," said Scorpius.

"It's not the same."

"Then next time you shouldn't pick a fight with Scorpius," pointed out Lily, earning a glare from her oldest brother. It was the first time she had said something directly to him about it.

James glared at her. "We'll talk about this later, Lily. But not in front of Malfoy."

"I don't mind," said Scorpius in an amused voice.

Lily grinned at him. James pushed her head away. "Stop that. You're annoying."

"Who is?" asked Scorpius.

"Both of you," sighed James.

"Then why are you sitting with them?" piped up Roxanne.

James scowled and answered, "You know why."

Hugo Weasley was strong academically, but he was as dense as his dad in other matters. He innocently asked, "Why?"

"Will all of you just watch the bloody game?" asked James in a very crossed voice. "You brats need to be quiet now, especially you, Malfoy. It's your fault I'm here instead of being up there."

Scorpius stifled a laugh as they went back to watching the game. In that brief conversation, the Slytherins were up by thirty. James' vocabulary became more colorful as a result. Madame Hooch blew her whistle when Dominique was fouled and allowed her three penalty throws. She was able to get two.

"Quite the beauty with a great throwing arm," commented Alfie. He always peppered his play by plays with opinions on the female players.

His tone shifted as Albus, who had been shadowed by the Slytherin seeker, started to accelerate. "The snitch has been spotted and Potter is going for it. Miller is not too far behind, but with the Mach broom he doesn't stand a chance. And neither does that snitch!"

Albus spun the broom so that he was upside down. Miller had been blindly following his flying for the entire game. He didn't reach for the snitch instead he watched as Miller followed his move. Miller wasn't ready for it, so when he spun he lost his grip and fell off his broom. Unfortunately, Miller was able to catch his broom in time. As he hung there, Albus sped off and went up right to the snitch. He deftly caught it and the crowd exploded in cheers.

"Potter has the snitch! The game is over. Gryffindor has 190, while Slytherin has 70!" announced Alfie.

The pitch erupted in cheers as Albus dove to the ground and landed. James was on his feet and was cheering. Scorpius stood up and clapped along with everyone else. He was glad that the attention was on someone else. He didn't have to worry about things for an afternoon. It was priceless.

_Dear Scorpius,_

_How are you? Things are as they were the last time I wrote you. I would like to start with saying that what you are feeling is natural. There is nothing wrong with it._

_As for your questions about your father, I don't know what to tell you about him. He was a complicated man. I knew him from before school. He had changed so much and so did I that in the end I doubted that we recognized each other. I'd love to tell you what I do remember about him. But it isn't a good time._

_I should tell you that you should never doubt that he didn't love you or he wasn't proud of you. You and your mother were his life._

_Regards,_

_P._

Scorpius read the letter. He studied the quill strokes. His mum said that you could always tell a lot about a person based on how they wrote their letters. She would explain the notes that his dad would leave to her.

Pansy's strokes were defined and deliberate. She wrote as if she had planned exactly what she had intended to say. There was some hesitation at the end as if she was holding something back. Scorpius wrote back.

_Dear Ms. Parkinson,_

_I was wondering if it would be possible to meet you in person sometime during the holiday. I shall be returning to Manderlay by next week. Please write me back before then._

_Regards,_

_Scorpius_

He sent it off before breakfast on Sunday. His friends liked to sleep in on those days. He supposed he would sleep in, too, if his dreams weren't plagued by nightmares. He was restless afterwards, so he wandered around the castle aimlessly.

He came to a door that looked strange like someone would miss it if they weren't paying attention. He had never notice it before. He checked to see if it was even unlocked. To his surprise it was. He tentatively walked inside.

It wasn't like any other room Scorpius had ever been in the school. For one thing, there was a piano with music and a stand with violins next to it. He glanced at the walls and saw posters of his favorite bands and even movie posters that he had seen when his parents had taken him to the Muggle theaters.

There was a clear board with clips and a blackboard with chalk. There were stacks of magazines and newspapers along with push pins and a big ball of red yarn. There was a sofa that looked very comfortable to sit and sleep in. "Where am I?" wondered Scorpius out loud.

He went for the piano. If there was one thing he really missed when he was away at school it was having a piano. He lifted the lid and slid it out of the way. He sat down and started to play. Scorpius played a piece that he remembered his dad singing to him. It was his mum's favorite.

"Stars shining bright above me..."

He sung until he was done. The Malfoy men had wonderful singing voices. It shouldn't be a surprise because they had great speaking voices. Scorpius sounded like his dad and grandfather. He couldn't be mistaken for the old man, but he could be for his dad.

It was a strange thing to find a tuned piano in Hogwarts. As far as Scorpius knew there was no dedication to the arts at the school. Wizards didn't really bother with musical instruments. They could wave their wands and the instruments could play themselves. Besides lessons were expensive, so music playing was strictly for the upper class or for those who truly wanted to learn.

Scorpius' dad's family was always upper class. Learning to play an instrument was part of family tradition. The Blacks used it as a way to show their wealth and class. Scorpius' parents never hired teachers for him, opting to teach him themselves.

His grandmother had barely talked about those dark years when his dad stopped playing the piano. His dad hardly ever talked about the war. Scorpius' dad had a faraway look from time to time. It wasn't until two years ago that Scorpius could understand it. He understood it too well now.

Had it already been two years? Two years since his dad and mum died. It didn't seem like two years. It seemed shorter as if only two days had gone. Scorpius felt something wet on his hand. It took a second for him to realize that he was crying.

He clutched his hands into fists on his lap. He couldn't understand it. He didn't wipe the tears away like he normally did. Perhaps it was because he didn't have to worry about anyone seeing him and he didn't have to stifle any sobbing.

He had no idea that his dad had done the same thing in that very room in front of that same piano years prior.

Scorpius was in the Room of Requirement.

Sometime much later, Scorpius pulled himself together and took a real inventory of the room. The blackboard was next to a stack of papers. Scorpius picked them up.

Warrington's name was on it. Scorpius read it. These were the articles he was looking for. He started to read them. He was so engrossed that he didn't hear the knocking.

"There you are," said Albus as he walked in.

Scorpius gasped. "How did you find me?"

Albus smiled. He liked to let Scorpius think he did have something special about him beyond his parentage. He had access to the map that his granddad had made. "So, you're hiding out here?"

"Stop sneaking up on me," exclaimed Scorpius.

"Sorry. It's probably not a good idea because you could knock me out like James."

"That wasn't on purpose. It was the shielding spell."

"We met last summer, remember? It shocked me. Dad said that it isn't as passive as it should be."

"I don't think my dad intended it to be."

Albus shrugged. "So this is the Room of Requirement?"

"Is that what it is?"

Albus nodded. "My dad said that it's where he and his friends would meet; the room basically becomes whatever you need it to be. Uncle Neville hid out here his last year of school. The house elves call it the Come and Go Room."

Draco Malfoy didn't tell his son that he used the same room to plot the murder of Albus Dumbledore. "That makes sense," said Scorpius. "It explains the piano and the violins."

"The room is like a living breathing part of the castle," said Albus.

Scorpius searched through the stack and found an old Potions book. It looked like it had been through the ringer. He read, "Property of the Half-Blood Prince."

Albus stood up very fast that it startled Scorpius. "Seriously?"

"Stop that!"

"Sorry," apologized Albus, "but I know who that is."

"Who?"

"Severus Snape."

Scorpius asked, "That Severus? As in your middle name?"

"He was Headmaster before Professor McGonagall. He was brilliant."

"He was head of Slytherin. My dad had him as head for five years."

"So, this was his?" asked Albus. He looked over Scorpius' shoulder.

"This book's been through the ringer," observed Scorpius. He flipped through it and saw the handwritten notes. "Snape was a bit high strung. Look how sharp his letters were."

"There are some pages missing," said Albus.

"That seems weird. Snape may have abused this book, but it's downright disrespectful to rip pages out of it."

"You've been spending too much time in the library. You sound like Madame Pince, Score."

"This room gives you what you need," mused Scorpius. "But I don't need this."

Albus shrugged. He looked around the room. "What about the rest of it?"

Scorpius replied, "Most of it makes sense to me.". He had the book in his hand. He wasn't a sixth year, so he didn't need it. "How this end up here?"

"Maybe someone put it here?" suggested Albus.

"But why? The extra textbooks are kept by the professors just in case. There's got to be a reason," said Scorpius. He picked it up the book. There was something important about it. It was probably the most important thing in the room.

* * *

Authors Note: The bulk of this story was written on my ipod using an app. I had always planned to link the story back up to the original. Scorpius and Albus just stumbled upon an important clue. People are probably able to guess what the missing pages have in them.

Work has become a serious drag. I hate my job. I wish I could do what I want for a living. Beyond that, nothing much else to say, but its the reason for the delays. My apologies.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	52. Part 52: Unknown Location I

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Fifty-Two: Unknown Location I

Pansy got the letter from Scorpius. She had hoped that he wouldn't write her back in the first place. His life depended on it. With each letter, he was one step closer to her.

She almost cried. She wondered just how much he looked like his father now. He already looked so much like him. She didn't see him much as a child. Maybe once or twice in passing and the rest in the page seven photos that the rags managed to get. Draco was very protective of his son. Pansy wondered what it would have been like to care as much about another person.

To love someone's life over their own.

Pansy Parkinson had spent many years caring only for herself. When she broke it off with Draco, she had lied and said that it was her father's idea. It was hers. She couldn't stand the thought of being associated with someone of less than perfect social standing. Not that he believed her anyway. He knew her well enough to know better. He wasn't that broken hearted, but the look of betrayal written across his face was something that had haunted Pansy for years. There was now a worst look that haunted her.

She need only let her mind wander for an instant and she could hear the screams. It all echoed in her mind. All those bloody images branded into her memory. She stared at her right hand. She could feel the warm skin of Astoria Greengrass' eyelids as she slid them closed.

"Everything is going as plan, my petal," said a silken voice. He placed his hands on her shoulders. "It will be over soon. You'll be free after that."

Pansy didn't say the words that sat on her tongue. "I'll be dead after that."

She heard another voice. It was the last words that Draco Malfoy told her just a week before he died, _"For once in your life do something good. Do something brave. Bloody Hell, Pansy, just do something."_

Scorpius returned home to Manderlay as soon as the last assignment was turned in. He would have signed up to stay on, if only to avoid having to show up on Christmas Day at St. Mungo's. He had another riddle to deal with.

Scorpius didn't really care for the school material that it had. It was the missing pages. Someone tore them out. He doubted they were after brewing tips. "I've got a bad feeling about this thing," said Albus after watching his friend inspect it for days.

"It's just a book," said Scorpius.

Albus said, "My mum always said to never trust something if you can't see where it keeps its brain."

"My mum said to never judge a book by its cover."

"This isn't a game, Score. Either you show this book to someone who's in a position to help you or I will go straight to my dad and tell him."

Scorpius had never heard Albus say that. "Fine," he said tersely. "Come with me to Professor Longbottom's office."

"All right," agreed Albus. He gave the book a look, but he didn't really want to touch it. "I've got a bad feeling about it."

"Why? One of your namesakes bought and used it," said Scorpius.

Albus shook his head. "I'll stick to what my mum told me."

They went to the Herbology professor's office. He was grading papers and looked a little startled to see them. "I don't have any extra assignments for you, Scorpius. You have a lot on your plate this holiday."

"Professor, there's something I have to ask you about," said Scorpius as he held up the book.

Professor Longbottom just looked at it. "What is that? Where did you get that?" he asked.

Scorpius told him and Albus gave the part at the end. Professor Longbottom paled as he stood up. "Give it to me, Scorpius. Now."

"What's wrong? What was on those pages?"

The professor flipped through the book. "This has to go to Harry."

"My dad?"

"His dad?"

"Yes," nodded Professor Longbottom. "I'll take it to him."

"But, why?" asked Scorpius.

"Did your dad ever tell you about his sixth year at Hogwarts?" asked the professor.

"Only that the headmaster was murdered that year, Professor," answered Scorpius.

"That is true, but did you know that your dad was ordered to by Voldemort?"

Scorpius sat down. "No, he didn't. He wouldn't kill anyone. Mr. Potter said that my dad wasn't a killer."

"I wish I had more details to give you, but Harry knows. He put your dad in the infirmary that year," Professor Longbottom told him. "I think that Harry was right though. Your dad wasn't a killer. He didn't have it in him."

"My dad didn't tell me," said Scorpius softly.

"You can't blame him, Score," pointed out Albus, "but it explains why Dad came down so hard on James. He's never said anything about putting Mr. Malfoy in the hospital wing."

The professor gave his godson a slight smile. "You're right. It wasn't your dad's best moment. He was not proud of it."

"Dad hardly ever talked about knowing Mr. Potter in school. I found out when I was about six or seven. My dad said that they weren't friends," said Scorpius.

"The rivalry wasn't unlike the one between you and James," said Professor Longbottom.

Scorpius shrugged, saying, "I doubt they fought over the same thing."

Professor Longbottom looked at Scorpius as Albus sort of looked away. "I see," he said. "I suspected as much."

"Suspect what?"

The professor smiled as Albus glared at Scorpius for asking. "So, I take it you will head for home today? I'll escort you back to your house."

"I was going home on a train just like everyone else."

"I think it would be better," said Professor Longbottom. His tone was calm, but there was an edge to it that Scorpius didn't feel like challenging.

Albus said, "Don't worry about it, mate."

"All this special treatment doesn't really make me feel special," sighed Scorpius.

"There are too many variables at King's Cross with the holiday and all," explained the professor.

Scorpius' lips formed a straight line. It was a feat given how full his lips were. Albus could tell how frustrating it was for him. "What time do I have to go?"

"As soon as possible," replied Professor Longbottom.

"I'll be ready in an hour," said Scorpius.

Scorpius returned to Manderlay to the warm, familiar smell of gingerbread. He could hear his grandmother and aunt along with Molly Weasley in the kitchen. He didn't bring his whole trunk home just the books he needed for his assignments and his violin. "I'm home," he announced.

Narcissa came to him, saying, "Oh, you're home, love." She gave him a kiss and he returned one. "You are getting so tall."

Scorpius smiled. "Hullo, Aunt Andi. ."

"Hello," chorused the ladies.

Smelling the gingerbread was overwhelming. He gave his grandmother a hopeful glance. Narcissa smiled, "All right, you can have some. You've always had a weakness for it. Your dad was utterly mystified by it."

Scorpius wasn't put off by that he put his things down on the sofa and made a beeline for the kitchen. He'd even put up with tea with the ladies for some fresh biscuits. "I remember you were almost four years old when you bit the heads off all the gingerbread men I had made for the children at 's"

Scorpius grinned as he recalled, "You thought it was Dad until he pointed out the teeth marks."

"You were also snatching one of the biscuits. Your dad thought it was wise to leave," laughed Narcissa laughed.

The ladies laughed. "How did you get home so early?" asked Andromeda.

Scorpius chewed and swallowed before replying, "Professor Longbottom thought it best. I would have liked to take the train like everyone else."

"Did something happen?" asked Narcissa, sensing something amiss.

Scorpius answered,"Maybe, I'm not sure, but something is going on. Professor Longbottom just sprung on me that I wasn't going home on the train. He said he had to talk to ."

Molly Weasley perked up a bit at the mention of her son-in-law. "I'm sure that whatever it is Harry will take care of it."

Scorpius gave a shrug. He was more curious than worried. It was just like the adults to plan around him than include him. He was going to ask Harry about the investigation. He ha relied upon the reports that Teddy and his grandmother gave him. It wasn't good enough anymore. He had questions that needed answers.

"Harry, Neville's here to see you," Teddy informed him.

Harry looked up from his paperwork. He was doing paperwork for the department, which he had to sign off on. His eyes betrayed slight surprise. "Send him in, Teddy," he said.

A moment later, Neville walked in. They exchange standard pleasantries as Neville took a seat. He told Harry about Scorpius' trip to the Room of Requirement and his meeting with the boys.

As soon as Neville brought out the Potions book, Harry had paled. "I can't believe it," he whispered.

"I wasn't sure which pages were missing," said Neville. "It was Albus who had insisted that Scorpius bring it to me. He looked half-afraid of it."

"He has better instincts than I do." He reluctantly took the book into his hands and turned to the part where the pages had been ripped out. "This is bad, Neville. The pages with that curse I used that landed Draco Malfoy in the infirmary are missing."

"I suspected as much," said Neville grimly. "Did you tell him about how close you got to killing his dad? Malfoy was killed using that same spell."

"But how?"

"Harry, just because you thought no one was paying attention before doesn't mean that no one was. I was hovering along the edges and even I knew about the book."

"You're thinking that the killer was in Hogwarts with us. Studying this curse, perfecting it so that he or she could kill more effectively with it. When I did it, there was almost no rhyme or reason to how the slashes hit Malfoy."

"Scorpius described it as being stabbed from the inside out," said Neville. "Malfoy knew what was coming. He had to save his son and wife. But Astoria was hit right after he was. She was prepared to hold back the killer. Malfoy used the last ounce of magic he had to create that shielding spell that keeps Scorpius safe."

Harry nodded, "It's best to keep it a secret. But you are right. I need to explain to Scorpius why finding this is very important. It has to be examined for evidence." He tapped the cover of the book. "I never thought that I'd see it again."

"The Room of Requirement is one of the most important rooms in the castle. I mean I haven't heard of any other student stumbling upon it in recent time," Neville said.

"I've been thinking about that prophecy."

"Trelawney doesn't even remember what she said. Scorpius isn't even a student of hers, but she sought him out in that state."

"Which means that Scorpius is much more important tha even he's willing to admit. But why?" asked Harry.

Neville ruefully observed, "You sound like your son, James, Harry. He keeps asking."

Harry sighed, then smiled a bit, "So, Scorpius is going through with the event at 's? The press got wind of it. They have been waitin for nearly two years to get something out of him."

"Are they? By the way, Narcissa is arranging a sort of party for Scorpius' birthday. Apparently the ladies have gotten together for pulling together. It's going to be at Greengrass Glen."

Harry frowned a bit, recalling how last year Scorpius blew up at the mere mention of his own birthday. "Is it a good idea?"

Neville told Harry exactly what he had told Scorpius. "I don't think his parents will mind. It will be later at night."

Harry knew exactly which ladies Neville was referring to when he mentioned them. "I have security details to see to for St. Mungo's, but Scorpius will be over before Christmas anyway. No doubt the ladies will send him over."

Sure enough, on the third day into the winter holiday, Scorpius was sent to the Potters with a tin of biscuits and fudge. Harry decided it was time to tell Scorpius and Albus about the importance of their find.

Because Ginny was involved, Harry asked her to help him explain. She was even more surprised than Harry over the discovery of the book. She wouldn't touch just like Albus. It remained in Auror Headquarters for safekeeping. Ginny wasn't going to let it into her house.

"Why are you here, Malfoy? Don't you have your own house?" asked James irritably when he saw Scorpius arrive around lunchtime.

Scorpius replied, "My grandmother sent me and your dad invited me."

"She doesn't want you there either," said James.

"James, don't you have studying to do?" asked his mother sharply.

James smirked as he replied, "I'm just having a laugh, Mum."

Ginny told him, "Be nice, James."

Scorpius watched this brief exchange before offering up the tin. "My grandmother made some fudge, Turkish Delight, and biscuits."

"Now why didn't you say so?" asked James as he relived the tin from Scorpius and left for the kitchen. He grandly added, "You may stay."

Scorpius shrugged as Albus came down from his room. "You're early," he said. "My dad's not here yet. He's still at the office."

Lily came down after her brother. She blushed a bit, not expecting him to be there. Scorpius didn't look her in the eye.

The conversation was pleasant. They discussed the winter holiday plans. It got hard to tiptoe around the subject of Christmas. James returned with tea and the sweets that Scorpius had brought. That was a bit odd, but James was probably still in trouble for the duel.

"Al said you conjured your Patronus in class," said Ginny.

Scorpius only had the tea and the gingerbread biscuits. "Profressor Larkin made me," he said. "It took over a year to get it right." He didn't want to talk about how he had been able to conjure his Patronus.

"It was huge. It took up the classroom," said Albus.

"I know I was the first one to see," said James. He didn't bother to say that Scorpius probably saved his neck.

"I want to see it," declared Lily.

Ginny laughed at the look on Scorpius' face. "Lily, it's winter break. You know that you and all the children can't do magic outside of school," her mother told her. Scorpius breathed a sigh of relief.

Harry came home and slipped in through the kitchen. He hadn't brought the book with him. He announced his arrival and after a brief exchange of greetings. He took a deep breath. Scorpius thought that he looked tired. "This is about the book you found," he started.

James and Lily glanced at each other, wondering why they hadn't been asked to leave. They were now curious. Harry started, "Ad you know, Scorpius, I knew your dad in school and we didn't exactly get along. On our sixth year, I took Advanced Potions Making, even though I didn't have the O.W.L.s for it. Your dad also took the course."

"No surprise there. Lucius always expected my dad to. My dad's marks were a lot better than mine are now," drawled Scorpius. It was his own fault. He probably could have applied himself more.

"What do you know about your dad's sixth year?" asked Harry.

Scorpius shifted uncomfortably as he replied, "He wouldn't talk about it. He said it was one of the worst years of his life. My mum told me to stop asking."

Harry could tell that Draco had gone out of his way to shield his son from all the bad in the world unlike his own father. This put Harry in an awkward position. He didn't know where he stood with Scorpius. He said, "It was the year that your dad became a Death Eater."

Scorpius' jaw tightened. He merely nodded. "Wait, he was sixteen, Dad. An underage wizard is useless," pointed out Albus quickly.

"Riddle needed someone inside of Hogwarts. A student would be able to get into the school much more easily than an adult," said Ginny. "Draco Malfoy was given a mission: to kill Albus Dumbledore."

Even James' jaw dropped a Scorpius said, "Dad said the Death Eaters had moved into Malfoy Manor that year. Grandmother said with Lucius in jail there was no one to protect them. They all would have been killed."

Harry could still remember Draco's words the night that Professor Dumbledore was killed. "That year I wasn't prepared to take Potions so Ron and I had to get books for the class. Ron got the nice clean copy and I ended up with the copy you found in the Room of Requirement. At the time I had no idea who the Half-Blood Prince was. Professor Snape and I didn't get along. Anyway that book helped me brew some fantasy potions."

"The book had more than that," put in Ginny, if only to stop her husband from going off in a tangent again.

Harry nodded, "It had spells in. There was a nasty one. I ended up getting in a duel with Draco Malfoy. I won't go into the exact details, but I almost killed him."

"Dad, are you serious?" asked James.

"It's not something I'm proud of," said Harry. "Afterwards, my best mates and your mum staged an intervention and took the book from me."

Ginny supplied, "I hid the book in the Room of Requirement. I thought we'd never see it again."

"What was the spell?" asked Scorpius in a calm, controlled voice. "What did you do, ?"

"The cut your father and he was bleeding on the floor. It was like invisible blades slashed him," answered Harry.

"I see. It was almost like the spell that killed him," whispered Scorpius. His hand was on his side. "So the pages that are missing in that book had the incantation."

James and Lily were at a lost. They were as stunned as Albus to hear about their dad's school boy folly. It was difficult to imagine their dad being violent despite his work and the other things they had heard.

"Dad didn't say anything. Of course, he wouldn't," said Scorpius. "Someone else obviously found the book and took just those pages. Why not the whole thing?"

"Hard to say," admitted Harry.

James said, "I don't understand what this is all about. Malfoy, what happened to you?"

"Your dad used a curse that someone saw and used to kill more than a dozen people, including my family. Half the victims were members of my family," replied Scorpius. His voice was strained like his throat was closing up.

"Professor Snape knew the counter curse, but I doubt that the person who took those pages cared," said Harry. He could see how Scorpius was digging his hand into his side. He frowned as he asked, "Are you all right, Scorpius?"

"No," croaked Scorpius before his eyed rolled and he passed out.

Albus was sitting closest to him. He was stunned before he could react Scorpius half slid of the the sofa. "Dad!"

Harry and Ginny were on their feet as soon as Scorpius' eyes rolled to the back of his head. Albus moved out of the way. "Harry, something's very wrong," said Ginny in a shaky voice. She had moved Scorpius' hand away from his side. It was red with blood.

* * *

Author's Note: This chapter was written a while back, but wasn't ready until the internet went down at home. Twice. First the service itself, then the power cord. Work and life got busy again. I have some handwritten parts of later events that starts to pull the threads of this very long story together, but I don't know how long it will be. I have hit pass 600 reviews. Thank you very much everyone.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	53. Part 53: St Mungo's Children's Ward

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Fifty-Three: St. Mungo's Children's Ward

Lily sprung to her feet and raced to the kitchen. She heard her mother saying, "Get the medical kit and some tea towels."

Ginny peeled back Scorpius' jacket and shirt. She moved his hand aside. Harry grabbed two cushions and positioned them at Scorpius' back. "James get Healer Thomas," ordered Harry.

James nodded and went to the fireplace. Albus helped moved Scorpius' legs so he was laying straight. By then, Lily came back with the kit and the tea towels. She handed the towel to her mother. "Why is he bleeding?" asked Albus worriedly.

Ginny pressed the tea towel against Scorpius' side. He groaned and twisted in agony. "Shh," murmured Ginny.

James announced, "Healer Thomas has to get his kit together. What in the world is that?" He was referring to the scar that had now reopened.

"Scorpius needed a blood transfusion the last time," said Albus worriedly.

"I'm sure that Dean will bring some potions," said Ginny.

"Just in case, he is AB negative," Albus informed them.

"How do you know that even we don't know our blood types? And why would he get a blood transfusion?" asked James.

Lily replied, more out of frustration than anything, "James, obviously he was hurt and it was the Muggles who helped him." She looked at Albus. "Right?"

"Thank goodness one of my siblings is smart," said Albus.

Harry cut in, "Stop bickering." His children fell silent.

Lily was kneeling on the floor next to her mother with her hands balled up. Dean Thomas came through the fireplace. He surveyed the scene very quickly.

"It happened so suddenly," said Harry.

Dean nodded and strode over to his patient. Ginny got out of the way. "This is serious," said Dean. "I can stop the bleeding. He hasn't lost too much blood, but he'll be light headed." He pressed the magical bandages against Scorpius' wound and it adhered to it.

Harry raked his hands through his hair, making it even messier. He said, "I'll have to get his grandmother."

Dean set to more work. The Potter children watched as they saw him talk out a syringe out of his kit. He tipped a vial of potion that had a special seal in it. He stabbed the seal with the needle and filled the syringe with the potion.

"What are you going to do with that?" demanded Albus in a horrified voice. He and his siblings had never been subjected to needles. Their parents wouldn't even let Lily get her ears pierced. "You're not about to stick that in him, are you?"

"He's unconscious. I have no choice and I need a fast delivery," Dean informed him before taking out a cotton ball with alcohol to swab Scorpius' arm. "This isn't the first time he's been stuck with needles I'm afraid." He jabbed the needle into Scorpius arm and administered the potion.

The Potters winced at the same time. Harry waved his hand, "It's not a big deal. Dean and I grew up getting shots."

"Shots and blood transfusions," sighed James. "It's a wonder how the Muggles manage to keep themselves alive."

Scorpius started to stir with a groan. He muttered, "What happened?" His eyes focused when he saw Dean. "Healer Thomas? What are you doing here?"

"You passed out. Your scar isn't a scar right now. It's a wound again."

Scorpius looked down and saw the blood. He tipped his head back. He drew a sharp breath. "This can't keep happening. Why does this keep happening?"

"It's a curse," said Harry. "I've got some of the best Aurors on it. I have to call your grandmother."

Scorpius thought about it for a second. He nodded. "She's going to worry."

"Because she loves you," Ginny quietly reminded him.

Scorpius could see a lot of blood as Dean managed to stop the bleeding all together. "I want to you come to St. Mungo's so I can clear you. You may have to stay overnight," he said. He saw the grimace on Scorpius' face. "Sorry, Healer's orders."

"Just what I wanted for Christmas, a trip to the hospital. My first Christmas was there, too," said Scorpius wistfully.

"You'll be there anyway," said Dean, attempting to ease the tension more.

Scorpius groaned again. "Scorpius!" exclaimed his grandmother. "Harry just told me what happened."

"Sorry to interrupt your knitting circle with Aunt Andi and Mrs. Weasley," said Scorpius with a weak smile. He also added, "Sorry about your couch, Mrs. Potter."

"It's all right. With two boys, it's not the first time that the couch has seen blood," said Ginny. She didn't say that it wasn't as bad as this time.

"It hurts as badly as the first time," said Scorpius as Dean helped pull him up. He opened another syringe and filled it. Scorpius barely flinched when the needle was jabbed into his upper arm. He felt the pain easy immediately.

"First time?" asked James. The blood was seeping throught the bandage. "What the Bloody Hell happen to you, Malfoy?"

"James," cut Harry off in a tone that reminded everyone that he was easily the most powerful person in the room.

Scorpius could see James shrink. "Mr. Potter, are you coming with us?" he asked. He didn't know why, but Harry's presence was almost reassuring.

"If you'd like," said Harry, a bit taken back. He could see some relief in Scorpius' face. With that they left the hospital to have Scorpius looked over, but was shortly released and ordered to get a lot of rest before the event on Christmas.

Scorpius could feel the burn of humiliation after returning home and shutting himself in his room for what seemed like hours. This left his grandmother very worried. Dealing with Malfoy males for three generations now was starting to wear Narcissa down. She loved her men though, even if they were difficult to live with at times. She did believe though that her son and grandson were improvements over her husband.

Lucius had concealed the truth about their son from her. It irritated Narcissa to know how little she seemed to know her own child. She was no delicate flower, despite her name. It made sense though that Draco had brought Lucius' wrath more often as he found out that Draco had not only defied him, but had moved against him.

Narcissa was a little proud that he had used her family's name when he did his work. There was no one left to carry the name forward in the traditional sense. Their family had precious few members. She enjoyed the renewed closeness she had with her sister.

"Teddy will be coming right after work," said Andromeda, who had stayed for dinner. Molly Weasley went home to tend to her husband and some of her family coming to dinner.

Narcissa had the bloody shirt in her hands. "He makes me worry so," she said, "keeping secrets from me just like his dad. How infuriating. Like I am some kind of invalid."

"You sound more angry than worried, Cissy," pointed out her sister.

"Who could blame me? These Malfoys have been driving me mad for decades now."

"I think you should be madder at Lucius for leaving you to deal with this on your own. Of course, we have done well without our men. I do miss my Ted. Sometimes a boy needs a man to talk to."

"Teddy is just a boy himself, Andi. I know he's grown, but he still is."

"I understand, but don't tell him that. It will deflate his ego," said Andromed. "You know how delicate their egos are."

"Professor Longbottom is a good man as is Harry Potter. Neville was Draco's choice to protect Scorpius."

"Harry practically raised Teddy. I couldn't have done it without his help."

Narcissa looked out the window. The snow was silently falling as she thought about Christmas. It crushed her heart to think of that day. Some days two years felt like two days. Her life had changed so much. It was empty at times, lonely, but at times very full and busy. The center of her world had changed very little from before. It was her grandson who ruled her heart.

She remembered how she had argued with Draco over his plans. He told her that they were going to Cornwall for the holiday and Scorpius' birthday. Lucius had to intervene, which was rare. Draco tried to appease her by promising they would immediately visit on New Year's Eve. He kept his promise to his son, but was unable to keep the one to her.

Scorpius was held up in his room. His friends were too kind to mention that there was still a handwritten not on the cork board that his dad had left him regarding the state of his room even though he had left it neat since then. Nor did they mention the unopened gifts on his bookshelf that his mother had wrapped. He had no idea at this point what they could be. These were threads, traces of his parents left behind. Scorpius didn't want to forget these things. He felt a bit of pain from the renewed wound.

He did what he always did when he couldn't sleep. He had to keep busy. Scorpius pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill. He began writing the speech that he had to do at the hospital. It took several pieces of parchment before he was satisfied. A knock came at the door. He said, "I'm coming." He didn't have to look at the clock to know that it was dinner time.

Teddy was at the door when Scorpius opened it. Scorpius was wearing a button shirt for ovvious reason. He moved only with the slightest appearance of pain. "Dinner's ready," said his cousin awkwardly.

The conversation was dull until they reached they started discussing Christmas. "I was thinking we should go to your grandparents' house," said Narcissa thoughtfully.

"You mean Greengrass Glen?" Scorpius asked.

"Yes," said his grandmother. "You haven't been there since earlier this year and it's been so long since that house has seen a Christmas. It will be good for us to get away from here for a week."

Scorpius nodded and that was that. Christmas was very near and there was lots of preparation going on around Scorpius, but he was distracted by his own problems. He didn't know that there was someone else who was going to be there. Someone who desperately wanted him dead.

On Christmas morning, Scorpius woke up very early. Actually, he only had three or four hours worth of sleep after a fretful vigil. Narcissa didn't even ask him if he had any sleep the following morning because she couldn't get any sleep either. She had let the birthday party distracted her for days, but there were no distractions in the quiet hours of the morning of her son's death. When she came downstairs to prepare breakfast, she found Scorpius sitting at the dining room table with the parchment in front of him.

She didn't know that mere hours before he was trying on the new shoes that he was to wear with the new dress robes for the occasion, but he found them too uncomfortable and it would take too long to break them in. He was trying to memorize the speech so that he wouldn't need it in front of him when he got in front of everyone. His dad was very good at speeches on the fly. Scorpius was so absorbed that he hadn't heard his grandmother come in.

Narcissa said, "Good morning, Scorpius."

"Happy Christmas, Grandmother."

"I was thinking that we'll have some gingerbread pancakes," said Narcissa as she went to the open kitchen area. "I found your mother's recipe." She had read it. It was handwritten in her daughter-in-law's handwriting, which was elegant and loopy, not sharp and angular like her son's. In the notes, it said, "Add chocolate chips to Draco's." Narcissa gave a bitter sweet smile at those words that were lovingly penned. Unlike Scorpius, Draco loved chocolate. He had loved all kinds of sweets.

"Sure," said Scorpius as he got up. "I'll have them with chocolate chips. I always wondered what the fuss was all about."

Narcissa smiled and they had breakfast. They talked about the plans for the day. It was going to be a very busy morning and Scorpius looked forward to resting at Greengrass Glen. He wasn't sure about standing in front of so many people and talking to them.

The Aurors had to coordinate everything, so Harry and Ron were on duty that day. Neville and his family were also at the hospital to pay a visit with Neville's parents and to support Scorpius in his speech. After separate celebrations at their houses and with their families, Harry and Ron were off.

Scorpius changed his into his dress robes at the hospital and didn't bother with his shoes. He wore his trainers. Scorpius took a quick glance at the mirror before heading out. He heard Dean Thomas' voice. "Ladies and gentleman, we are here today to break ground for a new wing dedicated to Diana and Anastasia Goyle, two little girls who were innocent children. Their older cousin, Scorpius Malfoy, is here to say a few words and to do what we have been waiting for."

Scorpius took a deep breath. He wondered how his mother, even his aunt, had done this, walking in front of a crowd alone and performing. The women in his family were fearless. He could see that in the girls that Healer Thomas just mentioned. He stepped out onto the podium with ringing applause. The parchment he had written earlier was set in front of him. He took another deep breath and held onto the edges of the podium. A flash bulb went off, then some more. It sort of helped because it blinded his eyes to the audience. The applause died down and it was quiet.

Scorpius discovered the downside to the flash bulbs building him: he couldn't read the cards. "Hello, everyone. Um…" He paused. His eyes were starting to clear a bit. "T-thank you for taking your holiday to be here today," he started again. His voice sounded a bit cracked. "As someone of you might know, I was here at this hospital fifteen years to the day today. So, if anyone really deserved the day off today, it's me."

There was some laughter from the audience. "But since we're here anyway, I guess I won't try to bore you. My cousins were only six and four years old. Di loved the color purple and unicorns. Annie liked pink and puffkins. And they loved me. It was the first time in my life I ever had two girls fighting over me," Scorpius said with a sad smile. He pressed his lips together.

"I would like to think that some good can come out of something so bad. May this place be a place of healing, even if it can't heal everything." Scorpius looked out at the audience. He saw his grandfather at the very back. Their eyes locked for an instant. He studied the rest of the audience. A lot of the guests, who were not the press, had attended at least one of the funerals Scorpius had been to in the last two years.

He felt his scar tugging at him, burning him. It was the worst pain. He kept his hands glued to the podium, gripping it tightly. "And if you are here today, I am letting you know that I am not going anywhere," he vowed. That was not in the original speech. He didn't know how he knew, but he was positive the murderer of his family was sitting in the audience. With those cryptic words, he could feel the scar searing. The killer was angered by his words and Scorpius could feel it.

The trance of the moment was broken by someone clapping, but it was a cue for everyone else to clap. It was that clapping that also made the pain even worse. The killer was clapping with the rest of them. He stood up and the others stood up nearly at the same time as he studied Scorpius Malfoy. Someone else was watching him.

Lucius didn't join the standing ovation. He allowed himself one moment of pride before he stood up and went to follow the woman who had watched from even further away than he did. The blood was boiling in Lucius' veins. His son was never a killer. Lucius on the other hand had no such moral conflict. He had no problem slipping pass the Auror. Lucius really questioned Potter's abilities as Head Auror. Of course, they were concentrated on Scorpius at the moment.

Lucius took another way around, having been on the Board of Directors for the hospital, he knew the layout of the building perfectly. He stalked after her as she was unaware of him. He caught up to her at an enclosed space. Ironically, it was close to the last place his son ever visited in the hospital, the morgue.

"Mr. Malfoy," she whispered, when she realized it wasn't the person she had been expecting. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with your family?"

"I don't have a family because of you," snarled Lucius. He raised his hand. She didn't even flinch. The spell that came was horrible. "_Crucio!_"

She screamed.

"No one will be able to hear you," said Lucius with a sinister, cold smile. "You were too good about getting away."

"Kill me!" she screamed. "DO IT!" Her face was gaunt like a skill and her cheeks were streaked with tears.

"Do not worry, child," said Lucius. "I will, but not before you've had a chance to experience a tenth of how I feel."

She was backed against a wall. Her body twitched. She didn't have a wand. It had been taken from her. He, not the one causing her present pain and torture, took her wand to add to his collection. His collection would only be complete once he had Scorpius Malfoy's. She was now on the floor.

She had been tortured and tormented for years now. She was waiting for her body to finally break. It had betrayed her like so many other things. It refused to let her die, prolonging her agony. She saw a family silhouette approaching. "No, don't kill him!" she shrieked.

Lucius Malfoy turned and threw a spell, but it was deftly blocked.

"You," gasped Lucius. "You bloody murderer!" His fury was beyond words. "You won't be turned to the Aurors. I'll kill you first!"

The other man laughed as the woman sobbed. He flicked his wand at her, hauling her to her feet. He aimed his wand at Lucius, "Consider this a Christmas present, Pansy. _Stupefy._"

Lucius dropped like a stone.

Scorpius was somewhat relieved after the speech. He didn't mention that he saw his grandfather in the audience and that he had disappeared like a snake in the grass. He was distracted by someone else. Ally Longbottom was with her parents and was one of the most enthusiastic clappers in the audience. She adored Scorpius like she would an older brother and practically bounced up to him as he was escorted off the stage and to a more private area. "Score! Happy Christmas!" squealed Ally.

"Happy Christmas, Ally," said Scorpius. He took her hand and he also mingled with her parents. Harry and Ron were in the background, but they weren't up to anything. He couldn't even see them. The security was very tight, but they were coordinated in such a way that they were unobtrusive.

"I want you to meet my gramps and gran," said Ally as she tugged on Scorpius' wrist.

Scorpius looked to Neville. He smiled a bit and nodded. Narcissa finally noticed something about Scorpius' attire. "Scorpius, are you wearing _trainers_?" she asked sharply.

Scorpius didn't even flinch. "Yes," he said.

"What happen to the new shoes? How could you wear trainers with brand new dress robes?"

"No one noticed. It's not a big deal, Grandmother."

"Scorpius," hissed Narcissa irritably.

"It's my birthday. I should be able to wear what footwear I want," said Scorpius smoothly with irritating calm that his father had a tendency to use with her.

Andromeda was laughing. "Cissy, pick your battles. We're lucky we were able to get him to wear something other than jeans and a shirt," she said. "And it is his birthday."

"It's your birthday?" asked Ally. "You must get loads of presents today."

"Not really," replied Scorpius. "When you're born on Christmas, people tend to forget. I don't mind. I'd rather forget. Take me to your grandparents. I'd like to meet them."

Ally knew exactly the way to the ward where grandparents were. Neville and Hannah hung in the back as Scorpius and Ally were talking about how their Christmas mornings had gone. Scorpius didn't talk about getting any presents. He did, but he left them unopened under the tree. Ally was excited about her new dollhouse and pony collection.

By the time, they were in the ward, the Aurors had gone on alert. Neville received a signal on a portable pocket watch communicator and he acted normal. Only his wife noticed that he had tensed a bit.

Ally introduced Scorpius to her grandparents, Frank and Alice Longbottom. It was the first time Andromeda and Narcissa had ever come face to face with the victims of their sister's. It was awful for them to see. Scorpius came up to them. "Hello," he said gently as Ally talked animatedly.

"This is Scorpius," said Ally. "Gran likes to give out gum wrappers. She might give one to you. If she does, then that means she likes you."

Neville could see the Black sisters hanging back. They looked a bit at a lost. "It's all right," he said to them.

"I don't know what to say," whispered Andromeda. "I knew that she was vile, but this is worse than I could imagine."

Narcissa said, "I am sorry. It was like you grew up without parents. I am so very sorry."

"Today is about your grandson and your family," said Neville kindly. "Thank you though."

Harry came in at that moment. Scorpius looked up. "Something has happened. Mrs. Malfoy, I need to speak with you privately," he said in a hushed voice.

Narcissa followed him outside. They only stepped out into the corridor. "What is the matter, Harry?" she asked.

"Lucius Malfoy was found near the morgue. He was attacked," replied Harry. "He's been taken into the casualty ward. He was knocked out, but there appears to have been a skirmish."

Narcissa paled as her eyes widened. "He was here? What was he doing here?" she asked.

"Probably for the same reason we're here. The speech was a very public thing," answered Harry. "We're trying to check the wards right now and determine exactly what happened, but it appears that there has been no breach into the inner security protocols."

"I need to see him," said Narcissa. "He might be willing to talk. He always makes sure that there are lawyers around. I need him to tell me a few things."

"I'd like to hear them, too, Grandmother," said Scorpius from the doorway of the ward.

Neither Harry nor Narcissa were surprised to see Scorpius standing there. Narcissa wanted to tell her grandson no, but she couldn't. His eyes were wide like when he was younger, about Ally's age. She managed a tight nod that was so slight to show her reluctance. "Come this way," said Harry.

* * *

Author's Note: I know I am using the same excuse all the time. Real life does bite and so does my job, which got intensely boiler room like in the past two months. Also, my DSL modem died, which is the reason for any delays in uploading.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	54. Part 54: Party at Greengrass Glen

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Fifty-Four: Party at Greengrass Glen

"Discharge me this instant!" ordered Lucius Malfoy as he donned his cloak. The nurse, poor thing who had to work on Christmas, looked very freightened. She looked like she was going to cry just like the last one before her.

The nurse trembled, keeping her voice steady, saying, "The healer on duty hasn't even examined you yet, Mr. Malfoy."

"I don't need an examination, you stupid simpleton!" roared Lucius.

Scorpius said from the doorway, "See, Grandmother, we don't need to ask where he is. Just follow the trail of tears and we're sure to find him."

Lucius looked towards his grandson's voice. He could see his estranged wife and grandson staring at him. "Really, Lucius, there is no need for you to be nasty," said Narcissa disapprovingly.

"What are you two doing here?" he demanded. "Don't tell me you were actually concerned about my welfare that you had come down here and check to see if I was still alive?"

Scorpius didn't look at all amused by this. Harry could see him physically tightened. "That is not funny," said Narcissa. "What happened to you? Who did this to you?"

"Potter, are you so incompetent that you need the assistance of my wife and grandchild?" asked Lucius in a silken voice.

"Leave him out of this," said Narcissa as she crossed her arms over her chest. "You have to answer to me, Lucius. Me. Our son died today. You knew what he was up to? You knew what he did. You know why he died. How can you sit there and withhold this information? Do you understand the terror we've been living under for the last two years? Do you even think about Scorpius at all? Today is his fifteenth birthday." Her voice only got louder as she spoke. Scorpius withdrew a bit from the doorway.

"Of course, I knew what Draco did and what he was. I knew!" exclaimed Lucius. "You forget, Narcissa, that he was my son, too. You didn't just lose him. I did, too!" He didn't add his annoyance at the fact that his wife had to remind him that it was their grandson's birthday.

"Then do the right thing by him and his wife and tell us what you know!"

"No."

Harry stopped watching them as he turned and saw Scorpius leaning against the doorway. He didn't have his hand on his side like he did usually when things got too stressful. Instead, both his hands were on his ears. "Come on, let's get you out of here," urged Harry as he put his arms around Scorpius and led him away.

"Don't you want to hear what he has to say, Mr. Potter?" asked Scorpius. "I'm fine."

"I've had some pretty bad birthdays," said Harry with a rueful smile. "I'll tell you about them sometime."

Scorpius said, "Thank you, Mr. Potter." He added, "I can't wait until I can get some rest."

Inside the room, the medical staff respectfully set up. Narcissa said, "What are you hiding, Lucius? You were always keeping secrets from me. What are you hiding now?"

"You said so yourself before. He was like sand. The harder I hung on, the more he slipped through my fingers," said Lucius. He suddenly looked old and tired. "I can't trust Potter to do this. I must finish it."

Narcissa frowned, not liking that at all. "Lucius, what will you do?"

"You know what I will do, Narcissa," he replied and with that he left the room. Narcissa watched him leaving, feeling a chill in his wake.

People were currently in Greengrass Glen putting together the grand old house for the party. "I can't believe that Malfoy owns this house," said James as he looked around. "I mean how many houses does he own?"

"Three," replied Albus as he put the decorations on the tree. They were working off a picture that had been taken years ago. "Scorpius doesn't come here a lot. He likes Manderlay best. He only inherited this house because everyone else is dead, James, so he's not really keen on enjoying it."

"I wish I didn't have to work on Christmas though," said James. "I hope that Malfoy doesn't blow up like he did last year."

Albus rolled his eyes and pointed out, "You don't like to work at all. No matter what day of the year it is."

"Shut it, brat," retorted James.

Lily and Roxanne were on ladders decorating the foray of the grand entrance to the ballroom. Fred was supervising. Or rather telling them if the banner was straight or not. Lily would have liked to go to the hospital with her father to hear Scorpius' speech, but she couldn't. Albus wasn't going, so she couldn't. The women were in the kitchen getting the food ready.

There was a lot of food being prepared because there were a lot of people there. All the Weasleys, Teddy, his grandmother, the Longbottoms, and Narcissa Malfoy were going to be there. Albus and Fred kept the party a secret from him because they both agreed that they didn't want to see his reaction to it until they were surrounded by witnesses.

Almost everyone had taken advantage of taking tours of the house. It was a manor really, not just a house. The party was going to be held in the grand ballroom, which hadn't seen a party since the engagement party of Scorpius' parents, which was almost twenty years ago. It took some good cleaning spells to get the house ready as well. There were lots of things in the house that were precious and were symbols of the Greengrass clan, whose roots were originally from Scotland.

There were rich tapestries and luxurious fabrics and furs. None of the chandeliers were the same kind, all of them were exquisite with details that made them as individual people. Each one of them had to have the glass meticulously cleaned and shined. There were like starbursts suspended against the marbled ceilings.

The statues that lined the hallways were of family members from Scorpius' maternal side, but those were in the older parts of the house. The newer parts of the house had portraits and photographs. There was an elaborate family tree just off the foray that led to the music room, where Scorpius' mother had learned how to play the violin and cello. There were drawings that were done by Scorpius' aunt that had been framed in plain frames to set off her art better.

Draco's name was in the second to last line of the family tree with a connection to Astoria. Scorpius' name was the last one in the family line, the only one without an end date. Albus immediately recognized the handwriting. It was Scorpius'. The date was the most common one on the entire tree, Christmas. No one else noticed, but Albus.

The rest of the guests would be arriving shortly because they all had to be there before Scorpius arrived to make it a surprise. It was a small wonder that the secret had been kept. Most of them kept the birthday party a secret because they were all intimidated by the grandmothers. None of them wanted to test the ladies.

Slowly a stream of guests began to arrive and the helpers were taking coats to one of the dens. They admired the house and were all guided to the ballroom, which wasn't completely done yet because the girls were having a hard time keeping the banner up and they weren't allowed to use magic, being out of school, so they had to rely on tape. Fred was less than helpful from the ground, telling them how to put up the banner straight.

While the party preparations, Harry and Ron were escorting the Malfoys back to Manderlay so that Scorpius could drop off his dress robes. He had bouquets of lilies, roses, and daisies sitting on the kitchen table that had been arranged for a trip to visit his family. Narcissa kept a careful eye on Scorpius, who was moving stiffly.

"Ready?" asked Narcissa. She wanted to make sure that he had time to gather himself.

Scorpius nodded and put on his jacket. The one he had found in his dad's closet. Harry and Ron had seen it before. It was the same one that was in the memories. From the side, Scorpius looked very much like his father. He didn't say a word as if he had lost his ability to speak. Teddy helped gather the rest of the flowers.

They transported via portkey to the graveyard. Scorpius looked unshaken by it and walked ahead of everyone towards the graves. Harry and Ron hung back, leaving Narcissa and Teddy to go with him. It was a private family moment and they didn't want to intrude. Ron said, "So what happen with Malfoy?"

"He was terrorizing the nurses," replied Harry. "Malfoy didn't say anything about the attack. He just insisted it was an accident."

"Of course, we don't believe him."

"Of course, not."

"Malfoy knows more about what is going on than any of us, but he refuses to help. Doesn't he care if we catch his son's murderer?"

Harry glanced at Ron. He had his hands behind his back as Ron kept his hand over his wand in its holster. "That's just it, Ron. I don't think Malfoy intends to let us bring the murderer alive. We have to find the murderer first before he does because if we don't, Malfoy will take him out."

"Are we still running with the theory that the killer was in school same time as us?" asked Ron. "It seems so coincidentally."

"You were the one who pointed out the photograph and how almost everyone in that photograph was murdered. I think it's a Slytherin."

"I remember the last time I was here," said Ron thoughtfully. "It was when those little girls were buried. Scorpius had a bit of a spell. Too much stress that day."

"I see."

Scorpius had set the flowers on the graves with care. He didn't drop flowers on the graves of his dad and uncle. He knew they wouldn't really like them. They were men after all. The roses were for his aunt's grave, she liked the smell of them and they were her favorite flowers. The daisies were the girls because they were innocents. The lilies were always for his mum.

Scorpius didn't say anything as Teddy said, "I never took you to see my parents. If you don't mind, they're not far from here."

"Sure," said Scorpius as he stood up. Teddy never had a single Christmas with his parents. They were dead before his first birthday.

Narcissa softly said, "I wish I could have met my niece." The day had been very long and it was starting to wear on her. She knelt down and pressed her fingers to her lips before touching the grave stone of her son. She stood up and went with Teddy and Scorpius.

"We'll come back before we leave," said Scorpius as he let Teddy lead the way.

It wasn't that far of a walk to the graves of Remus and Nymphadora Lupin. Teddy didn't look as sad because he didn't know them that well, his expression an unusual mix of regret and matter-of-fact. Teddy never knew them, but he had heard many things about them. He told these stories to Scorpius and Narcissa.

There was solace in silence. It carried between them as they went back to the graves of Scorpius and Narcissa's family members. When they returned to Harry and Ron, they were somber. "Shall we go to Greengrass Glen now?" asked Harry.

"Yes, Mr. Potter," nodded Scorpius wearily.

They apparated to the entrance of Greengrass Glen. They entered the grand house. The party wasn't in the entrance. Scorpius made a beeline for the stairs to go to the room where he normally stayed in when he visited. "I'll just change out of these dress robes," said Scorpius.

"Go ahead," said Narcissa as she needed to check how the party arrangements were going. Harry and Ron followed her.

The party was almost set. However, the banner had fallen again, forcing the girls back up the ladder. "We should just use wands to stick it up," said Fred thoughtfully from the ground.

"It's fine," said Lily as she watched Roxanne tacking her side up. "Now, let me know if I have to raise it up or not."

Harry and Ron were directed to the kitchen to help get the food out. Narcissa went along to see how things were in there. "This is the worst Christmas ever," muttered James under his breath. Albus glared at him. "I mean there are worse Christmases. I suppose," he quickly amended.

The rest of the Weasley family was there. "Okay, everyone, he's going to be here in anymore," said Teddy as he came in. "Let's kill the lights and prepare to surprise him."

"But the banner's not up right," said Lily.

"Just wait a tick. It'll be fine," said Teddy as everyone else came in and he turned the lights off with his wand.

Scorpius looked around and wondered where everyone went. "Hello? Where'd everyone go?" he called out.

"Great, Teddy, he can't tell where he's supposed to go," hissed Victoire.

"Oops," said Teddy as he scrambled to turn one of the lights back on, but he knocked into one of the ladders in the darkness. There was an audible gasp and the light turned back on. Scorpius saw the light and went for it.

"What's going on?" he asked as he opened the door. Lily's ladder was the one that was knocked by Teddy and the distraction of Scorpius' entrance and her parents were still in the kitchen. Lily tried to grip the banner, but it was futile. She barely had time to let out a scream as she fell.

Scorpius was surprised as he instinctively held out his arms, and Lily fell straight into them. He sort of stumbled back, but didn't drop her nor did he fall back.. Louise hollered, "Nice catch, Malfoy!"

Scorpius gingerly put Lily back down, feet first. "What is going on here?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. Lily was blushing furiously, and the back of Scorpius' neck felt hot. He could see a mildly stunned look on Albus' face, an amused on Fred's, and a glare from James.

"Surprise!" exclaimed Teddy as the others came into the ball room. "Happy Birthday, Score." He coughed nervously because he couldn't gauge Scorpius' reaction.

"What just happened?" asked Harry as everyone else started to answer his question all at once.

"Lily fell from the ladder."

"Scorpius caught her."

"The surprise was ruined."

"I wouldn't say that. Score looked plenty surprised."

Scorpius took the chance to discreetly sneak out. He didn't go far. He just stepped outside and Albus was the only one who saw it. He managed to get outside as Scorpius leaned against the wall. "Happy Birthday and Happy Christmas," said Albus almost anxiously.

"I was wondering where you were," said Scorpius.

"Thanks for catching Lily," said Albus.

Scorpius nodded, "I wouldn't want anyone to get hurt in my grandparents' house." He didn't add that he didn't especially want Lily to get hurt.

"Don't be mad, okay?"

"I'm not mad. I just never had a real birthday party before. It's Christmas. People tend to forget, or I have to just go along with the festivities that are already going on."

"So you're not hiding out because you're mad?"

"Just overwhelmed."

"Scorpius, do come back now," said Narcissa as she came out. "It was my idea. I just wanted you to have a real birthday just once, Scorpius."

"You've already had a hard day," said Scorpius. "I'm not going to make it worse."

Scorpius went back inside and the Potters came up to thank him as Lily shyly smiled at him. He plastered a tense, fake smile on his face. He started a bit froze, but as the afternoon wore on he started smiling for real. He ended up meeting more people. Not just the Weasleys, his relatives, the Longbottoms, and the Potters were there. There were other guests who wanted to see and meet him. One of them was Luna Lovegood Scamander. "I'm Lily's godmother," she said after a quick introduction. She smiled at him. "You have your mother's smile. I should know. I was in Ravenclaw with Astoria. She was a year behind me."

"Really, Mrs. Scamander?" asked Scorpius.

"Yes," said Luna with another smile. "I never saw it until today. Your mother once helped me, even if she didn't have to. People used to take my things in Ravenclaw. I would put up signs to get them back. Your mother was one of the people who returned my things. She apologized."

"My mum wouldn't take other people's things," said Scorpius.

"She didn't. She took them back from the people that did without telling them. It happened over and over again, even if it didn't make her popular with the others. I see a lot of her in you."

Scorpius laughed. "Most people say I take after my dad."

"I don't see it," said Luna. She paused quietly and added, "I can see why my goddaughter is so fond of you."

Scorpius swallowed, not knowing what to make of it. He did steal a glance at Lily, but didn't do much more than that. He moved on and continued to mingle and mix. His dad was never one to go to parties and make small talk. His mum had been the family social butterfly. She would have had a grand time at this party.

Albus and Fred signaled him to come with them. "We helped moved the piano here," said Albus. "Fred was being a git and refused to get off the bench and while making me push it."

Fred was grinning. "But it's a good thing I did that," he said.

"What?" asked Scorpius.

Albus replied, "After trying to get Fred off, I just shoved him off and the bench sort of fell."

"Not sort of, it fell and cracked open," corrected Fred. "We put it back together, but inside is something you should see."

Scorpius gave them an impatient look as Albus handed him a thick folder. It was more like a folio. Scorpius almost instantly recognized it. His mother used to carry it with her. He opened it and inside were sheets of music that were dated and done by hand. "It's my mum's," he whispered.

"Yeah, I figured," said Albus.

Scorpius gave a weak smile as he said, "My mum would keep her work in progress in here. She always liked coming here for inspiration because this is where her music started. She must have put them in the bench before we went to Cornwall."

"So, you're happy right now?" asked Fred hopefully. He looked to Albus worriedly, who wore almost the same expression. "I can't tell."

Scorpius nodded as he smiled, "Yes, for right now. Thank you both. You just made my birthday."

* * *

Author's Note: I decided to end it on a happier note. In the next chapter or so, you will see why. A story like this needs a balance of lighter moments and darker ones. Also, this month I am participating in the National Novel Writing Month Challenge (AKA NaNoWriMo). I have thirty days to write an original story. So, I'm devoting all of my energy into finishing the challenge. Assuming I can finish, I'd like to find a beta reader and possibly find someone who could a cover before launching it on Fiction Press or putting it in epub format. There is a lot to do this month.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	55. Part 55: Kings' Cross

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Fifty-Five: Kings Cross

The rest of the holiday went by almost in a boring fashion that Scorpius could live with. He met with his mates and they did things together that security could easily adjust to and make allowances for. Scorpius either went to Al's house or Fred's house. Or they went to Manderlay. Scorpius spent his time alone trying to figure out the last set of notes his mother had worked on. Narcissa watched as he looked at one piece that was incomplete. It was too short about a minute long. To Scorpius, it was an incomplete thought. Yet another thing his parents would never get to finish.

"What will you do with these pieces?" asked Narcissa.

"I don't know," replied Scorpius. "I just want to look at them for a while."

"I think it's time for you to open your gifts from them," said Narcissa gently.

"I don't want to."

"I understand that you don't want to, but I think you should."

Scorpius nodded. "Teddy said the same thing. He said that if he could have had one Christmas present from his parents, he would have opened it," he said. The visit to Teddy's parents' graves hit Scorpius hard. There was both a good and bad about knowing and not knowing their parents. Teddy only heard second hand stories about his parents, so he never knew them. At times the pain was less for him and Teddy, but for Scorpius who had so many memories it wasn't as easy. He was both happy and sad to have the memories of his parents just as Teddy was happy and sad not to have many memories of his parents.

"You found out about your father's work and your mother's last work," said Narcissa. "I know we haven't talked to each other about your dad and his work."

"Why did he do it? Why would he put his life on the line for a cause that he didn't believe in before?"

"The war changed his outlook on life the most. After the trials, your dad was lost and depress. I saw him breakdown, but after he went away for a while he got better."

"Three years he was in the Muggle world, learning about them. In the memory vials, he said to Lucius that they didn't deserve to be wizards after what they let happen in Malfoy Manor. Dad never blamed you, Grandmother. He knew that you were trying to protect him and to keep our family together. You changed the war. You did it without magic."

Narcissa didn't smile. She never gave herself credit for what she had done. "The truth was when I saw Harry Potter laying on the ground seemingly dead, I wasn't thinking of him as the enemy. I saw a boy, a boy who was the same age as my son. I am a mother still, Scorpius, even with your dad dead. I am still a mother. You don't stop being a parent even when your child is grown or gone."

"So I'm still your grandbaby?" asked Scorpius.

"Always," replied Narcissa. "I'll leave you to it."

Scorpius looked at the incomplete piece. An owl came and tapped on the window. Narcissa took a letter and handed it some coins for payment. "It's for you," she said.

"I'll look at it later," said Scorpius as Narcissa put it on the table next to him. He recognized the handwriting. The envelope was obviously for a birthday card. "It looks like a late birthday card."

"Oh," said Narcissa. A lot of birthday cards had come because people knew when Scorpius' birthday was now. Some of them had been from strangers with warm well wishes. It was unusual that people would send birthday cards to someone they didn't know, but Scorpius had near celebrity. He was the youngest, richest wizard in the world, so people wanted to know about him.

Narcissa went about using dusting spells in the house and used her wand to fold the clothes and to arrange them their baskets to send them to their rooms. Scorpius waited until she was distracted before opening the envelope. It was a birthday card from Pansy Parkinson. He opened it and read the message:

"Dear Scorpius,

I wish you a Happy Fifteenth Birthday. Your dad would have been so amazed to see how much you've grown. I don't have much time to really spare, but I will be in London in the upcoming days. There is something you need to know. I need to tell you something important.

I know the school schedule. Please meet me at Kings Cross before you board the train to return to school. This is the only chance I will have to speak with you. I can't tell you this over the letter. You will need not to tell anyone about this letter. We need to talk. After we talk, I need you to take me to Harry Potter.

Sincerely,

Pansy

P.S. Reply to this letter as soon as possible. I need an answer in the next day. Do not use your owl."

Scorpius wondered what this was about. Pansy said not to tell anyone, but needed him to take her to Harry Potter. He then noticed that there was one more thing in the envelope. It was a map of Kings Cross, but it showed where Pansy wanted to meet him. It was far from Platform ¾. It was in the place where there were mostly Muggles about. The wizards tended to take one way into the station and they all knew the short way in.

Scorpius put the card away and the map. Soon later he announced that he had to go to Albus' house. It was almost unannounced. Scorpius came over, butAlbus was okay with seeing him. "Hiya, Al," he greeted as he got out of the fireplace. He had gone through after talking to Albus through the fire.

"Hiya, Score," said Albus.

"I need a favor. I need to send a letter to someone but I don't want to use Artemis," said Scorpius. "Mind if I borrow Gandy?"

"Sure," nodded Albus. He had given up on trying to correct the name. And the blasted owl didn't respond to Gandalf. Scorpius followed him and it took two tries to wake up Gandy. The owl gave his master a glare. Scorpius came prepared with an owl treat and the owl hooted and held out his leg out forScorpius.

"Thank you, Gandy," he said.

"Why aren't you using Artemis?" asked Albus. "Gandy's far more recognizable than she is." Gandy puffed out his chest to show off his white feathers. Albus stroked his feathers.

"People know that my owl gray. They know that my favorite colors are gray and blue. They know who my best friend is," said Scorpius with a shrug. "I figure I just wanted to surprise someone."

"Yeah, you're special."

"So are you, you git."

Scorpius thought about it. "Do you think I'll be able to ride the train back to school this time?" he asked. "I mean I could leave home at the last minute going through the fireplace, but I don't like it. I'll be there before everyone and it's frightfully boring," he said.

"You could ask my dad," said Albus. They both knew it was up to Albus' dad. "I guess the last time they were a bit freaked out about the book. And it was such a boring ride back on the train without you. And Fred didn't have money for any snacks."

"Am I just a bank for him?" asked Scorpius ruefully. He started to laugh. "I just sounded like my dad there."

"Hm…that's how my dad sounds like, too," said Albus with a laugh.

Scorpius thought about the note from Pansy. He wanted to tell Albus about it. He said, "Al, there's something that I wanted to ask about."

"What about?" asked Albus.

"If I needed something from your dad that I'm not sure about, how do I ask him? I'm not his kid, so I'm not sure how to ask."

"My dad's pretty cool. You want me to ask for you?"

"Yeah, I want to ride the train back to school. That's what I want. I just go along with the security plans so that I don't make their jobs harder."

"Scorpius, my dad knows better than anyone what you're going through. I know you're probably sick about hearing it, but if you ask him, I'm sure he'll understand. I don't know why you're so intimidated by him."

"He's Harry Potter, Al," pointed out Scorpius with emphasis on the last name.

"I know who my dad is," said Albus. "I mean people were probably just as intimidated by your dad too, weren't they? I mean I've heard some of the things people have said." He sort of faltered at this point.

"I know those weren't completely complimentary. You don't have to spare me. They still say the most horrible things about him, but those people didn't know him. And if they did, well, there are other people who'd know what he was."

"What did you dad do for a living? You said you figured it out and my dad said he showed you where he did some of his work. What was your dad doing?"

"It's hard to wrap your head around, even my grandmother can't fully understand. I think Lucius knew, but he won't give up anything. My dad's work was the same as your dad's except on an international scale and completely underground without any compensation."

"My dad is an Auror," Albus reminded him. "Wait, that's what I overhead Teddy and Uncle Ron were talking about with my dad. He said that your dad's work was dangerous. Teddy said it didn't matter if it was illegal because your dad did what they couldn't do because their hands were tied."

"Dangerous about covers it. My dad broke a couple of laws on a regular basis," said Scorpius. "I never knew what he did. He and my mum kept it from me, even my uncle. I don't know if my aunt knew, probably not."

"This still sounds vague, Score. You don't have to say everything at once," said Al. He shifted, sensing Scorpius' discomfort.

Scorpius didn't feel too good about leaving out the real reason he had to be in Kings Cross that day. It gave him a tight feeling in his stomach. He just wasn't telling Albus everything that matter. It was really no different than what Scorpius' dad used to do. It made him wonder if his dad ever felt any physical discomfort when he lied. Probably not. His dad was an excellent liar.

They settled on a game of chess. Scorpius was barely improving. He always did better when fred was around to help him. Lily had gone to Fred's house to visit with his sister. James was out with Louis and a group of their friends. Al's mum was in her study working.

Scorpius felt ba that he and Albus couldn't just go out. That was the reason why he'd tell Al if he was doing something, so that Al and Fred could go out for real other than going back and forth between safe houses. Scorpius liked visiting Al's more than Fred's because of Lily and Ginny. Lily had a way of putting him at easy. Ginny looked out for Scorpius like he was one of her own.

"How about a card game?" suggested Scorpius after another dismal defeat.

"Yea, I'm tired of beating you," agreed Albus smugly.

Scorpius got two decks of cards for his birthday from Lily. "Let's do Slap Jack.," said Scorpius.

"My Uncle Bill likes to call it Egyptian War, even though he doesn't pay."

"Of course, he would."

They started a game as someone else came home. Harry wasn't completely surprised to see Scorpius there, but they were left alone in the house because Ginny was working in her home office. "Dad, Scorpius has something to ask you," started Albus after they said hello.

Scorpius looked a bit stunned. He was thinking of letting Harry get a bit settled first before making his request. Harry said, "You don't really ask for something unless it's important. What do you need?"

Scorpius stole a glance Albus who gave him a nudge. "Um…I—I wanted to ask if it would be okay, if I went to school back on the train with everyone else back to school, Mr. Potter," he stammered. He kept his eyes steady on Harry's.

"I see," said Harry thoughtfully. "We'll have to go over the procedures to see if we can do it."

Scorpius cast his eyes down. "I get it, Mr. Potter."

"I'm not saying no, Scorpius. I'm saying that we have to consider things first."

Scorpius' dad used to say that. It usually meant no. Harry could see that look of disappointment on Scorpius' face. Watching Draco's memories regarding his son's pout, Harry took the warning from them and looked above Scorpius' head. Even if Scorpius was old enough not to pout his way into getting what he wanted, Harry doubted he had the resistance. Ginny always said he was the soft touch when it came to their kids.

"But Dad, it's boring on the train without Scorpius there," said Albus, clearly on his best friend's side.

Harry rolled his eyes upward as if asking for help from above. Between the boys, Harry had his hands full. He thought of backing out of the room and pretending he hadn't seen them in the first place. Thankfully, his wife had come out of her office. "Boys, I was thinking it was time for some tea," she said. Then she spotted her husband, she said, "Hullo, Harry."

"Hello, sweetheart," said Harry. "Let me help you."

Albus said, "Mum, Scorpius just asked Dad if he can come on the train back to school with us, but Dad won't give an answer."

Ginny looked back and forth between the boys and her husband. "Harry, I think it's ridiculous for you to be coddling Scorpius too much. You went to theQuidditch World Cup and led an underground student revolt all while Voldemort was trying to kill you."

"Ginny, let's talk about this in the kitchen," sighed Harry. It was hard to talk to her with the audience in front of them.

"Fine, you can help me with the tea," said Ginny.

Albus watched his parents disappear into the kitchen. "I think this is good. Dad will tell Mum what you asked and she'll convince him to let you go," he said with the same smugness he had during the chess game.

Holidays always ran faster than school days or work days for whatever reason. Time flew and soon enough, Scorpius found himself getting ready to go back to school. He felt some relief going back. Hogwarts was like a sanctuary and a safe, compared to almost everywhere else. The school had its protection spells and some external forces couldn't reach him like reporters.

Scorpius got ready for school and had to come up with a plan to separate from his grandmother and the rest of them, including the security. Harry was clever. He'd never go over the security plans with Scorpius, sparing him the details. Scorpius' best chance was to come up with a distraction. He need more than one, but one came serendipitously in the form of his grandfather.

As Scorpius was coming down for breakfast, he could hear his grandmother speaking in a near shouting voice. "What do you mean Lucius has decided to come after more of my son's estate? Draco's will was iron clad. He couldn't possibly want more from it!" snapped Narcissa angrily. "He is willing to steal from his own grandson?"

"No, Madame, he just feels that there has been some mismanagement on the part of you and the other members of the trust. He is looking out for your grandson's well fare," said the voice that Scorpius recognized as his grandmother's lawyer. One of them anyway.

"What mismanagement?" demanded Narcissa. "His money has been managed well. Scorpius wants for nothing financially and he has more than enough to get him through the rest of his life."

"He has gone over the records. Other than the very public donations of his uncle and aunt's estate to charity, there was a larger sum missing from his accounts dating back the Christmas before last."

"That was for donation to the hospital that saved his life. Those people deserve more than what Scorpius gave. Clearly, Lucius' problem is that it was aMuggle hospital. There is no mismanagement."

Scorpius coughed to let her know that he was in the room. He dug his hands in his pockets. Narcissa whipped her head around and the lawyer greeted, "Hello, Mr. Malfoy." He was trying to sound jovial.

"Please don't call me that. People will think I'm Lucius," said Scorpius calmly.

"Of course, Scorpius," said the lawyer. He addressed Narcissa, "I shall speak to you at your earliest convince, Mrs. Malfoy. Good day." His head disappeared from the hearth.

"Grandmother, why don't you go down there and talk to them about this?" said Scorpius. "I'll be fine. I can just catch a ride with Al to the station. We can't have Lucius thinking you're not handling me and the money right."

Narcissa sighed as she looked at her grandson. He was getting tall just like his father. He was now fifteen years old. This was the same child who used to run and hide behind her skirts when he was trying to avoid getting in trouble with his grandfather when he visited Malfoy Manor. "Are you sure you don't want me to see you off?" she asked him.

"Yes," nodded Scorpius. "I'm not a little kid anymore, Grandmother. I'm two years away from being an adult. Of course, I'd rather you deal with Lucius. I'm still a kid after all."

Narcissa smiled and said, "Yes, well, I've had more experience dealing with him. Your dad didn't have much luck either. Very well, you will go to the station with the Potters and write me as soon as you get to Hogwarts. Got it?"

"Got it," nodded Scorpius.

Scorpius made the arrangements and he and his grandmother got ready. When the Potters came to pick him up, he was all set to go. His grandmother gave him a kiss goodbye and apparated to London from the front porch. Scorpius settled in the backseat with Albus in the same row as him. The Potters were using a van that Harry had borrowed from the Ministry.

Lily sat in the same row as James, but that was probably due to James' doing. Lily looked back at him and smiled. James glared at him. It was the usual thing. Scorpius sat with the owls between him and Albus. Gandy was trying to carry on a conversation with Artemis who gave her master a pained expression with her amber eyes.

Scorpius' mind was whirling. He had to come up with another distraction. He took out an owl treat and offered it to Artemis who took it, but still was unhappy with Gandy. "Gandy, stop, she's not interested," said Albus.

Scorpius said, "I'll move over." He moved over the pushed Artemis' cage closer to the door. He was sitting between the cages. Scorpius could see Gandy's cage. The locked part was closer to him. It was easier to open than Artemis' cage. Gandy just wasn't as smart as Artemis to do it. Scorpius gave him a treat as Albus looked out the window.

It was chore for Albus to get Gandy in the cage when they traveled. Gandy was a bit high spirited and when Albus opened the cage, Gandy was always overexcited and flew off straight away without much thought in his bird brain.

Scorpius had an appointment to keep, so he shoved an owl treat under the latch. Gandy saw it and was about to go for it, but Scorpius put in another treat. He stopped at a second and waited for Gandy to go for the treat under the latch. He'd have to work for that one.

When they pulled up at Kings Cross, they saw other families gathering and getting carts. Scorpius and Albus loaded their trunks onto the cart and Scorpiusdid the cages, so Albus wouldn't see what Gandy was doing. He was starting to feel that tight feeling in his stomach again. He saw Fried, so they ended up walking in together.

Scorpius could see Gandy really getting at the owl treat. He had a chance to stop this. He could have thrown in another treat and move the one under the latch. He gripped the cart handle tighter. "Score, you want me to push?" asked Albus.

"Yeah, it's definitely your turn," replied Scorpius. They were getting closer to Platform 9 ¾. Scorpius could feel his scar starting to burn. Then suddenly, the cage rattled. Gandy hooted very loudly and then cage burst open.

Albus shouted out, "Gandy!"

Scorpius predicted that his friend would start running off. He could hear the sounds of everyone shouting. In the confusion, Scorpius knew that the security would be alerted and moved in. So he ducked away as if he was going after the owl, but headed for where he needed to go.

He didn't now how Pansy Parkinson looked like now. All he had was the pictures that his aunt had of her. He had very little time to find her. She had returned his message to meet Platform 0, the most recently opened platform. He saw throngs of people trying to get to where they were going.

"Scorpius," called Pansy. She stepped out from behind a column.

Scorpius saw a gaunt woman. She was so thin and hollow as if a breeze would knock her down. Her eyes were sunken in, making her cheekbones even more prominent. "Miss Parkinson," whispered Scorpius.

"We don't have much time," said Pansy in a very soft voice as if she had none left. "You look so much like your father." She reached out her hand, but she was more than a few feet away from him. "You have his eyes." She shook as tears filled eyes. They were dark and Scorpius recognized grief.

Scorpius could feel his scar starting to sear again. He saw her hand had something else in it. It glinted it the winter light. He was about to take a step back. "Run," she whispered. "I don't know how much longer I can hold him back. He's going to kill you. I'm sorry. I can't stop him. I can't." She was gasping as if she needed air.

"Who killed my parents?" asked Scorpius. He had to ask. He could see the answer was so close.

Pansy leached forward in a jerky motion, reminding Scorpius of those marionettes his aunt used to use to entertain him and his cousins when he was little. "YOU CAN'T HAVE HIM! I WON'T LET YOU!" screamed Pansy as the dagger flashed in the air. She was going to stab Scorpius and she threw it down as if it was on fire. "RUN!"

Scorpius would have run before. He stood his ground, even the pain that erupted from his scar wasn't enough to force him to let go. He watched as Pansy fell forward and the back of her skull exploded in a cloud of red. All he could was catch her before she hit the ground.

* * *

Author's Note: Pansy's one brave deed is done. It was hard sitting on the fact that I was planning on killing off everyone in the picture. Scorpius' character evolves as the writing of this story goes on. It's such a long story. In actually, I suppose it sort of splits in separate parts like the original series.

I am on vacation this week from my job, but I'll be off to Vegas for a family vacation. I wanted to update this story as a gift for Thanksgiving, even if it's not a gift giving holiday. And yes, I know that my readers are from all over world. But have a great meal and go and have time with your family.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	56. Part 56: The Office of the MOM

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Fifty-Six: The Office of the Minister of Magic

Scorpius caught Pansy before she fell. All out chaos broke out as people started to realize what was going on. People started to panic and shout. Someone screamed, "Shooter! There's a shooter on the platform!" Scorpius tried to keep Pansy' body upright, but her body slacked like a rag doll. There was so much blood as Scorpius felt the familiar burn from his scar.

He started yelling, almost not realizing he was doing it. "Someone help! Please! Someone help her!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. He wanted to kick the dagger away from him, but instead, he placed his foot on top of the hilt to keep it from getting trodden on or kicked away.

Pansy's blood flowed from the back of her head. Her body was still warm, but the life had already drained out of it. Scorpius could feel it against his skin, warm and wet. It made him ill as it sunk in that this was how his mother had died. His vision blurred. He was still in danger and he should have ran, but he couldn't leave her. Not like this.

There was another kind of pandemonium. Harry was trying to get the blasted owl with Ron and Hermione helping him, and then the sounds of people screaming and all the commotion that alerted Harry to something else. He looked around, taking a head count of the kids. He saw his sons, daughter, nieces, and nephews. "Where's Scorpius?" he muttered.

"Bloody Hell," muttered Ron.

"Go. Let's split up. I'll look around here," ordered Harry. He turned to Hermione. "Go and find out what's going on from the Muggles. Make it low key, but you know what to do if it's got anything to do with us."

Hermione nodded and took off. Ron had left while Harry was talking to Hermione. He went towards the source of the trouble as Hermione went straight for where security was. Ron had signaled other Aurors who were part of the security protocol and they had followed him.

Albus and Fred had corned Gandy and were coaxing him back into the cage with owl treats. "Come on you stupid owl," whispered Fred.

Gandy gave him a ruffled hoot and clicked his beak. "Please get back into the cage," pleaded Albus. "I'll give you all the owl treats. Come on now."

Harry walked by them and asked, "Have you seen Scorpius?"

Fred and Albus glanced at each other. "Dunno," answered Fred. His eyes widened as he saw his aunt walking with some police officers. "Oh Merlin, what's going on?"

"Score's gone," whispered Albus. He looked around as he realized that he didn't even notice. "Dad, where is he?"

Harry grabbed Albus' shoulders. "Did you see where he went?" he asked with a gentle shake.

"What's happened?" asked Albus after he shook his head.

"Stay with your Uncle George and don't take off," said Harry. "I've got work to do."

Harry's mind was reeling as worry began to set in. He shouldn't have allowed his emotions to get the better of him. He should have just said no when Scorpius had asked about taking the train to school. Harry could have lived with the hurt feelings rather having something happen to Scorpius. That was a jarring thought. He'd never thought he'd feel that way about any child of Draco Malfoy.

Harry's pocket watch had gone off. He opened it. There was a mirror in it that Harry put in that could be in contact with Ron's. "We got him. Harry, get to Platform 0. It's bad. Really bad."

Harry had to get fight the crowds that were trying to get out of the station. Hermione was talking to the police. As he walked by, he didn't stop to listen as he knew that she was handling it. Hermione was always the one who was the liaison with the Muggles because she was more capable than Harry was.

When Harry got to the platform, Ron must have put up a Confundus Charm because the area was relatively cleared. When someone did walk up to him, Ron said, "Shove off." He spotted Harry and another Auror took over.

"Ron," said Harry, then he faltered. He could see Scorpius learning against one of the sides. There was a body sprawled out on the ground. Harry paled when he saw the bloody.

"It's Pansy Parkinson," said Ron, confirming what Harry already knew. "As near as I can gather, Scorpius was here when someone made the back of her head explode. He won't let anyone near him or her. Do something, Harry."

Harry cautiously approached Scorpius. He could see what Ron was talking about. There was a slight simmer around Scorpius. Harry didn't even want to touch it. He knew what it was. "Scorpius, are you all right?" he asked as gently as possible as if he was dealing with a hippogiffin.

"She told me to run," whispered Scorpius. "She saved my life."

"Scorpius, look at me," said Harry firmly. "Just tell me what happened. You're not in trouble."

"Yes, I am," said Scorpius. "It's my fault. Everyone keeps dying around me, Mr. Potter."

Harry could hear what Scorpius wasn't saying. He was scared and felt very much alone. Harry was that kid. He said, "You're not to blame. You're not the one killing anyone, Scorpius. I know it seems like it is, but it's not your fault." Harry had been there. He had to think about what he had wanted to hear all those years ago. "Tell me what Pansy Parkinson told you. Tell me what happened."

Scorpius looked down at his hands and slowly started to tell Harry what happened. He did it as if it was the hardest thing he ever had to do. Harry listened, watching the simmer drop. He stepped up to Scorpius and put his arm around his shoulder. "She shouted to him. She said he couldn't have me. She wouldn't let him," said Scorpius.

"It's a choice. She made a choice. They all did," said Harry. "Now get you cleaned up. All right?"

Scorpius numbly nodded. "I can still smell it, Mr. Potter. When her head was hit, there was a cloud of blood. I can still smell it," he whispered.

Harry nodded as Ron listened. Hermione had joined them. They watched as the sweepers started to come in from the Ministry. The reporters were starting to descend. "We've got to get moving, Harry. We won't be able to hold them back any longer," said Ron. "I think it's safer in the Ministry."

"Yes," agreed Harry. "Hermione, did you get the CCTV footage? We need to start now. Bring whatever we have to Headquarters."

"We've got it," said Hermione. "I'll release a statement to the Muggle press. Harry, I think you'll have to do the one to the wizards. This thing has just blown wide open. There's no way for us to cover it up as we did before."

Harry nodded. He said to Scorpius, "Go with Ron. I'll check up on the other kids. See, if I can't get the train to go ahead."

"Tell Albus I'm sorry. I was the one who let his owl loose," said Scorpius.

"Al didn't say that, Scorpius," said Harry.

"I put an owl treat under the latch. The latch was defective, but Gandy wasn't smart enough to open it on his own. I'll get him a new cage," said Scorpius.

Under normal circumstances Harry would have been more than a little irritated, but he couldn't get mad. Not with all that blood and a dead body laying on the ground. Harry nodded and went off. Ron said, "Let's get you out of here. I'm sure you don't want any more pictures taken."

Scorpius nodded and allowed himself to be rushed out of the station. Hermione went to work, and so did Harry. It was going to be a long day. Scorpius looked back at Pansy one last time before someone draped a cloth over her. His scar burned worse than before.

Things moved around him, but he felt like time stood still. Before he knew it, he was spirited away to the headquarters of the Aurors near the Ministry of Magic. Scorpius had to sit down and wait for his grandmother to arrive. Ron had to coordinate the Aurors that were there as it all started to come out.

Scorpius was left alone, still refusing to let them clean the blood off him. He saw the white board that was in the large assembly room. It was the entire investigation laid out before Scorpius eyes. He saw pictures that were taken from the crime scenes and handwritten notes that looked similar to Albus' handwriting, but it must have been his father's. He studied the pictures as detached as possible. It wasn't easy.

Scorpius saw the other murder victims. He had seen their pictures in the yearbook before, but not like this. The wizard photos weren't frozen in time unlike the ones from his parents' murders. Those must have been taken from the Muggles' investigation when the Aurors took over. Each photo was splashed with blood. It didn't matter that the wizard photos weren't frozen. The bodies would never move again. Scorpius swallowed hard when he saw little Annie's face, sleeping like an angel with a hole in her chest.

"You're not supposed to be here," said Ron. "I'm sorry. I forgot that this was left open."

Scorpius blinked his eyes very quickly. It didn't help much. He turned and saw Ron, looking almost unreadable. He had a set of clothes with him. "You see this everyday, Mr. Weasley?" he asked.

"Yes," replied Ron. "We have to until it's solved. We won't stop."

"Aren't you mad? Annoyed?"

"It's not your fault."

"I mean after what happened today, Mr. Weasley."

Ron was irritated earlier, but he couldn't be mad at Scorpius for long periods. "Would it help if someone scolded you?" he asked.

"It might."

Ron cleared his throat. He said in as stern a voice as he could muster at the moment, "What were you thinking? Let me guess. You weren't thinking, were you? You could have been hurt. Or worse. How could you put us through that?" Scorpius flinched ever so slightly, but kept his eyes steady. "There. Feel better?" Scorpius nodded. "Let's get you cleaned up. There are some showers. Get the blood off, but I'll need your clothes. You're covered in evidence."

Scorpius nodded and left the room. Ron followed him out, but took one last look at the case. All he could think about how much more they'd have to add to the wall of death.

Harry knew that the murder at King's Cross was going to spark a media frenzy. Both presses were breathing down his neck, eager for answers. If the Aurors thought they would have a chance of keeping things quiet before, they were wrong. Mere hours, after the sun had set, Harry had been summoned to the Minister of Magic's office.

Before Harry could sit down, Minister Shacklebolt threw down the Daily Prophet's evening edition. Its headline said it all, "Serial Killer on a Rampage at Platform 9 ¾." Harry saw the byline and had to bite back a curse. The worst part was there were pictures. It wasn't of the grisly sight at the station, but all the known victims. Harry said, "We have a leak."

"Worse than that Harry," said Minister Shacklebolt as he gestured for both of them to sit down.

"It wasn't at the Platform, but outside of it. It was Platform 0," corrected Harry. "Skeeter has never learned to get the facts right."

Minister Shacklebolt scoffed, "Does it matter, Harry, if she got that part wrong? A serial killer has killed entire families, some of the most prominent families in our society. And the public is accusing your department of a cover up."

Harry leaned backed. "It is standard procedure not to report our findings on an ongoing inquiry, Sir," he stated.

"That is the reason why we need to know who leaked this to the press," agreed the Minister.

Harry unfolded the newspaper. It was very chilling to see the smiling faces of the victims. He skimmed the article and Scorpius was a central figure. It made Harry's stomach sink as it said that only Scorpius had come out of an attack alive. There was more as Harry started to read more than skim. "Bloody Hell," he swore.

"What?"

"We never released or wrote down the exact day the Warringtons and the Bulstrodes were killed. By the time we discovered the link, the authorities in Amsterdam and Montenegro said they had died about a day or two before the bodies were found. Unless Skeeter is making this up, then she's talked to someone with prior knowledge."

Minister Shacklebolt used to be an Auror. His eyes lit up. "Do you mean the killer was her source?"

"Possibly," said Harry. "You know what will happen if I approach her."

"Give her an exclusive," said Minister Shacklebolt. "You figured it out, Harry. We need this bastard caught. Also, how his Scorpius Malfoy?"

"Traumatized," muttered Harry.

Minister Shacklebolt said, "He has been through so much. Six of the people on this front page were members of his family. Has he said anything?" Harry repeated what Scorpius had said at the station. The Minister said when Harry was done, "You are the best person to help him. You give him hope that there can be a life after all the terrible things have passed."

Harry's expression soften as he said, "I saw terrible things as you said, but never this type of bloody violence up close. Riddle wasn't so messy. This killer is leaving bloody carnage in his wake." He thought about how Pansy's skull had been blasted open in the back.

"There's your difference between a megalomaniac murderer and a serial killer," said the Minister. He had assumed the role of Auror that once held at that moment. "They do have one thing in common that will undo them both in the end."

"Ego," said Harry and Minister Shacklebolt nodded. Harry continued, "The autopsy report should be done on Pansy Parkinson soon."

The Minister nodded again. He looked at the front page. "I'd like to meet Scorpius one time. I heard he's a talented and extremely brilliant child."

"You would have to go through Mrs. Malfoy," said Harry. "Good luck with that."

"We all know what kind of lady she is," said Minister Shacklebolt. Despite his egalitarian attitude, he referred to women like Narcissa Malfoy as a lady. "What about Lucius Malfoy?"

"Nothing. Not much activity to report. Apparently, Mr. Malfoy has some issues with regards to his grandson's trust fund."

Minister Shackebolt warned Harry, "Be careful. The old snake is slippery. He's used to being monitored and watched. He's had years of operating under scrutiny. He is very apt at slipping away if it suits him."

Harry agreed, "Lucius Malfoy knows more than what he's saying. We're hoping if we keep an eye on him, he'll lead us to something."

"No surprise there. Malfoy will most likely finish this for you if you don't get to the killer first. Don't let him, do your work for you, Harry."

Harry stood up, after looking at the time. "I don't have any intention of another Malfoy meddling in my work, Minister Shacklebolt."

Ron reviewed the footage from the CCTV cameras. There was nothing. Hermione was with him.  
She had gone back to the Aurors Headquarters after dealing with the Muggle press as best as she could. They both watched the footage in silence.

They already had the evening editions of the papers. Hermione was reviewing them. "It's amazing how much they know about Scorpius Malfoy. Look at these pictures," said Hermione with disgust.

"The Muggles are to arm the teeth with cameras," said Ron grimly. "They must be surprised that so many of their papers are sold out."

Hermione said, "So much blood."

Ron put his arm around her and pulled her close. "Now the whole world knows."

"Because that's what the killer wants," said Harry as he strolled in. "Did you read the Prophet?"

"Yes," said Hermione. "I mean I read it."

"We've been looking through the footage. We can't see anything but just Scorpius and Parkinson," reported Ron.

Harry told them what he had learned. As he looked through more of the newspapers he said, "The killer hasn't gotten any real recognition because we've kept it under wraps."

"Do we stand around waiting for him to make a mistake?" asked Ron. "I'm tired of being one step behind this bloke."

Hermione put in, "The Muggle criminal psychologies would say that the killer is devolving, which means that he or she is unstable."

"Hermione, _he_ is already unstable," pointed out Ron. "Stable people don't go around murdering innocent children, or go around trying to finish them off."

"Ron, by unstable, I mean we can't predict what he'll do next."

Harry saw the flying memo. It was a black envelope. He knew what it was and caught it. He opened it read the autopsy report. "Dead from a spell that caused her head to explode like a gun shot wound. Death was instantaneous."

"What else?" asked Ron.

"Malnutrition and signs of torture."

"Ron, go back to the footage. The part where Parkinson and Scorpius met," said Hermione.

Ron fumbled with the remote control. "I hate these things," he said. "And I hate seeing this bit."

Hermione watched and then grabbed the remote from her husband. "Look at that. The way her body is moving. She looked like she was struggling against something." She rewound and played again.

"The Imperius Curse," murmured Harry. He went to the box of evidence. "Is this all she had on her, Ron?"

"Yea, whatever is on the inventory," said Ron. "Why?"

"What's missing here?" asked Harry. "What is Pansy Parkinson's wand?"

"It wasn't here. It's not on the manifest," answered Ron as he looked at the list.

Hermione was lost at this point. Harry and Ron both caught her up. On the board in the large room, the word "wands" was written in caps with question marks. Harry further said, "Parkinson's shoes are the same size as the prints we found on the river bank at the scene where Montague and his partner were found."

"So Pansy Parkinson is an accomplice," said Ron. "That makes sense."

"Not quite," corrected Hermione. "She was the bait to lure Scorpius into the open, but why was her wand taken from her? Why weren't they taken from the Malfoys or the Goyles?"

Harry's eyes widened as he realized it. "She was the weapon," he said. "The reason why the Goyles and Malfoys' wands weren't taken was because they weren't the real killer's trophies to take. Think about it, who could get close enough to them to kill them without them fighting so hard? In Scorpius' memories, Draco was using mostly defensive spells. He wasn't trying to kill his killer."

"Because she was one of them," whispered Ron. "All the people in this picture are dead now. The entire Inquisitorial Squad was murdered long after school ended." He showed the picture to Hermione.

She looked at the picture. She asked a question that no one else had bothered to ask, "Who took this picture?"

Harry and Ron glanced at each other. It seemed like an inconsequential question, but it was enough to make them wonder.

* * *

Author's Note: I wished I had more time to finish the chapters in a timely manner. I completed the writing challenge in November. Since this story has staggering word count, I managed to complete the 50,000 word count without a problem. Anyway, the song that I listed to when I wrote the part where Pansy dies is Gram Rabbit's "Devil's Playground."

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	57. Part 57: Back to Manderlay

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Fifty-Six: Back to Manderlay

Scorpius came out of the bathrooms of the Minister of Magic. He saw Teddy waiting for him. He wore a grim expression and Scorpius knew he was in trouble. "I'm here to collect your clothes, cousin," said Teddy.

"Here," said Scorpius. He had taken a very long shower. Anything just to get the blood off. He could still smell it. Teddy bagged the clothes and Scorpius followed him. "I'm sorry."

"I'm not mad about what happened," said Teddy as he softened. "Just wondering why you're doing stupid things still like not asking for help when you need it. We've been investigating Pansy Parkinson for almost a year. And for longer than that, no one has heard from her. You should have said something to me. I'm not just an Auror, I'm family." He sounded very irritated at the end.

Scorpius said, "I just didn't want to worry you. I didn't think much of it. She started it. She sent letters to me with stuff about my aunt and my dad. She had pictures."

"I'll need those, too," said Teddy. "Tell me exactly what happened."

"Have you gotten a hold of my grandmother yet?" asked Scorpius.

"We're trying. Your grandfather is a piece of work. You give money to charity and he calls it mismanagement," answered Teddy.

They walked out of the locker rooms and they could hear shouting. Scorpius drew in some air. "That's it!" exclaimed Lucius angrily. "You are unfit to have custody of him. You have always been too soft on him."

"I'm soft?" retorted Narcissa in an outraged voice. "You were the one who never disciplined Draco unless it was to your benefit. You didn't care if he was rude or unruly unless it didn't suit your purposes. Do not tell me how to raise my grandson."

"He's my grandson, too. He has my name," declared Lucius. "He is as much my grandson as he is yours."

"You were the one who said that he should have died two years ago!" fired back Narcissa.

Teddy gave Scorpius a pained expression. "Yeah, these are my grandparents," he muttered as he looked somewhat embarrassed. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were looking a bit lost and there were two groups of people, clearly the lawyers of Scorpius' grandparents. They had come out after they had had their meeting in the other room.

Lucius didn't reserve all of his irritation to his estranged wife as he turned his attention to Harry. "You are incompetent, Potter. I will file a formal complaint against you and when I'm done you won't be head of this department."

Harry gave him a stony glare. "Mr. Malfoy, if you chose to file a complaint, then I'll have you arrested for withholding vital information regarding your son's murder. Don't think I can't make the charges stick."

"The self-righteous Harry Potter abusing his position? Heaven forbid the very idea."

"Not like you haven't before, Mr. Malfoy. Or don't you remember how you used your position on the board of school governors to ensure your son's position on the Slytherin Quidditch team?"

Hermione spotted Scorpius and tapped Harry's shoulder, signaling him to stop. Teddy stepped between Scorpius and everyone else. He wasn't sure what he was protecting his cousin from, but he wasn't about to let anyone hurt him. "Who the Hell are you?" demanded Lucius.

"Teddy Lupin," replied Teddy. "I guess I'm kind of your nephew by marriage. Well, hopefully not for much longer."

Lucius regarded Teddy with sharp, cold eyes. He could see Scorpius looking very rattled. "Scorpius, you are not safe here. Not with these people. You are the only heir I have left. I have really no choice, but to make sure you stay alive."

"Doing just fine, Lucius," said Scorpius. "I'm not going anywhere with you. I'll stay with Grandmother. Being with you was never a good idea. That's what Dad said."

"Your father is dead, brat, because he was too stupid and stubborn to listen," muttered Lucius.

Narcissa clamped her hand over Lucius' shoulder. "Don't you dare talk about my son like that," she growled in a tone that Scorpius had ever heard before.

Ron winced because he had heard the same exact tone from his mother when she was ready to claw anyone who would hurt her children. "Grandmother, can we please just go home now?" asked Scorpius, not wanting to witness another shouting match. "Or I could just go to school," he suggested hopefully.

"We're not done yet here, Scorpius," said Harry apologetically. "Teddy, go with him and get him something to drink. Go."

Teddy didn't like being treated like a child, but he decided it was worse to have Scorpius there. "Let's go," urged Teddy. "We'll get some tea."

As soon as Teddy and Scorpius were gone, Narcissa rounded on Lucius. "You know exactly what is going on. Do not lie to me, Lucius. I always know when you are lying. You and Draco have kept secrets from me. You know exactly why this is happening."

"You are wrong. I don't know why this is happening," stated Lucius angrily. His eyes looked along the walls. There were wanted posters of fugitive Death Eaters and other most wanted wizarding felons. There were lots of pictures that were crossed off. The ones that were captured abroad were actually done by his own son.

"You people need therapy," said Hermione out loud. "Or so marriage counseling."

Ron hissed at his wife, "They're getting divorced already. This is beyond the help of counseling."

Lucius glared at them. "I will not stand by and allow a Mudblood and a Blood Traitor to judge me," he said.

Ron and Hermione looked ready to draw their wands. Narcissa said to them, "I'll handle this." She said to Lucius, "I think that they are better equipped to judge you than you are at judging other people, Lucius. I want answers. I want to know how long you knew that Draco was the Inquisitor."

"Do not say that name here," snapped Lucius coldly. "He threatened to turn me in. His own father."

"Turn you in for what?" asked Harry.

Lucius' head lawyer shook his head and interceded. "This is enough. My client will not answer any more questions at this time," he said.

"I'm afraid I must agree with my counsel," said Lucius almost victoriously. He left with his entourage. Narcissa conferred with her group and dismissed them. She gave Harry a weary look. They both shook their heads.

"Scorpius is surprisingly fine," observed Narcissa.

"He was pretty shaken up after the last attack, but there comes a time when there are just so many that you have to start to numb yourself otherwise you won't be able to function," said Harry. "It will hit him later."

"Perhaps we can use the Imperius Curse on Lucius and force him to tell us," said Narcissa thoughtfully.

"Mrs. Malfoy, that's one of the Unforgivable Curses," said Hermione.

Narcissa arched her eyebrow at Hermione. "I've been married to Lucius Malfoy for over forty years and I come from one of the oldest, dark families in all of England, my dear, I know what an Unforgivable Curse is."

"It's illegal, Mrs. Malfoy," Ron said.

Narcissa asked, "Is that the only objection you have?"

"Well, it seeing as it is Lucius Malfoy, I don't really have any objections," answered Ron with a shrug.

Hermione and Harry glanced at him, then at Narcissa. They shook their heads. "Told you pure bloods were a bit nutty," said Scorpius with a mug of tea. Teddy almost chuckled as Narcissa came up to them. "Has he gone, Grandmother?"

"Yes," nodded Narcissa. "Are you all right?"

"I'm not the one who's dead," answered Scorpius. He looked down on the ground. "Will somebody come for her? Does she have any family?"

Hermione answered that question with a shake of her head, "No, she doesn't have any family. Her father died about two years ago. She was alone, so no one would have been looking for her. She cut all personal contact."

"What will happen to her then?" asked Scorpius.

"If no one claims her body, she will be cremated and her ashes put into storage," answered Ron.

Scorpius said, "That's not fair. No one deserves to be that alone."

Harry could see that Scorpius didn't completely understand what had happened. He had a feeling that Pansy Parkinson did have contact with people from her school days. She had killed them. He didn't have any evidence, but he was sure. Harry wondered just how much self shielding Scorpius was doing. Harry had done it himself when he was Scorpius' age.

Scorpius and Narcissa returned to Manderlay. There was no telling when he would return to school. The media frenzy was even worse than before. Scorpius could feel the flashbulbs burn him as he walked by the press. They were shouting so many questions at once that he couldn't understand them. It made little difference because he didn't have any intention to answer any more questions today.

Narcissa had had a very trying day and wanted nothing more but to keep her grandson close by where she could keep an eye on him. Scorpius went back to his room and settled back in. His trunk was with him after the Aurors had taken it to get the letters from Pansy.

Scorpius went straight to the cork board that he had carefully left alone since the death of his parents. He tried to keep everything the same as it was before his parents died. The house was like a museum with the exception of the kitchen, his room, and his grandmother's room. He took a deep breath before he started taking down the things on the cork board. When he got to his father's last note, he carefully left it on top of his nightstand next to the photo of his parents.

The thing about being a musician was that Scorpius had learned to memorize things in large chunks. His mother always said that a simply melody wasn't just a note or two. It was a couple stringed together. Scorpius could memorize things at a single read practically. He had had more than enough time to memorize the white board that the Aurors had.

His grandmother left him to his own devices long enough for him to recreate the board using the supplies in his room. He laid out the names he saw at the board. The order of the murders came to light. His parents' deaths weren't the first that much he knew. He started the board backwards by starting to Pansy.

Scorpius had to think. His head was filled with more than he realized. He looked at the timeline, which closely matched the one that the Aurors had. They even had the notes that Scorpius had dreamt of the murders as they happened for the Goyles and Montague and his partner. He could tell there was something missing. Something he had almost forgotten about.

He sat back on his desk chair looking at it. The thing about his dreams was that it was hard to tell if it was a real nightmare or happening for real. Scorpius touched his throat as he remembered the hands clamping around that woman's throat. He didn't know who she was.

He shut his eyes, trying to remember more than just the end. He saw more than just that. He had to force his memory to go back and to get an idea of what was happening. He needed a way to do it. He had to find a way because there was an answer. He just couldn't see it.

Rage. Sheer and utter rage engulfed him as he tore through his house. The boy was so close within his grasp. Then the bitch had to warn him. He had to finish her off because if she got caught she'd tell them everything. He thought her spirit had been completely crushed and sucked away like a Dementor's Kiss. The boy was still alive and the last bit of leverage was now gone.

He stopped in the parlor where his mother had spent her time. He walked by the mockery on the mantle. Each of those photographs that made him realize just how sick and twisted he was. He was like his mother. He had learned at the foot of a mistress. The photographs were her collection and it was a bold display of her carnage. The parlor was her favorite room because she could see her accomplishments. The smiling faces of the men she had destroyed.

He didn't display his trophies the same way as his mother had done. He went to his office and opened the safe. Inside, there were wands. He had a few. There were locks of hair from his first set of victims. They were Muggles that no one would miss. There were specks of blood on all of them.

He never liked the Killing Curse. It was too clean and unsatisfying. There was some visceral and real about spilling blood. The only wand that didn't have any blood on it was Pansy's. He had taken it from her because she still fighting him. Such a shame that his tool was now gone and disposed of.

He was a great and powerful dark wizard. He had learned how to kill using other methods. The thing about the Unforgiveable Curses was that they required too much focus to do one on top of another. Magic was fluid like that. Most wizards couldn't do multiple curses at the same time, let alone regular spells. He found a way to do it. It required another wizard or witch to do it.

Pansy. Pansy. Pansy. It was hard to crack her and figure out would break her. It took a while. He pretended to be interested in her. He broke her. He broke her two years ago. After that, it was easier. She had a heighten sense of self preservation that came into play over and over again. So it was shocking indeed that she would betray him for that Malfoy brat.

He picked up her wand and turned it over in his hand. This was a special wand. This was the wand that drew the blood of the Malfoys and the Goyles. He was going to use it to finish off Scorpius Malfoy.

There was something else. He had the letters that Scorpius had written to Pansy. The boy had more than few points of vulnerability left. He saw the names and connections that the boy had asked about. She had written him back about something that he could use to lure the boy out. Someone else who mattered to him. Killing the brat's grandparents wasn't going to be enough. It would be predictable.

If anything, he was unpredictable.

Now it was time to move on out of the house. He wasn't planning on ever coming back.

Scorpius stared at the cork board. He closed his eyes and then a knock came at the door. His grandmother was at the door. "Lunch, Scorpius," she said.

Scorpius came down and found that she had prepared soup and toast points. He sat down and they quietly ate. "What happened today wasn't your fault, Scorpius," said his grandmother.

"It is," said Scorpius blankly. "She wouldn't be dead if she hadn't warned me."

"Scorpius, there was a dagger. She meant to kill you."

"Did she? Then why did she warn me, Grandmother? Why did she tell me to run? Did you know her?"

"I met her only a few times. I didn't like her. She was too disingenuous. Not trustworthy at all. I'm not saying she deserved what happened to her, but I can't say I'm sad she's dead."

Scorpius could understand his grandmother's protectiveness. She was a traditional pureblood who protected her own with the ferocity of a lioness. Any threat that was eliminated was fine by her as far as she was concerned. "She didn't seem like that in her letters. She seemed. I don't know. Sad," he said.

Narcissa asked, "What did she tell you?"

"She told me about what she remembered about my dad and my aunt. She said that I had my mother's smile," answered Scorpius. He didn't tell her about how he had exposed more of his life to Pansy than he had intended. He had asked her advice on something that was on his mind. "Before she died, she said I had my dad's eyes."

Narcissa said, "Yes, you do. When you were younger, your eyes were like pools of water. Wide and adorable. Your father used to say he would have liked you to have blue eyes like your mother. He expressed his disappointment when you opened your eyes for the first time."

"He didn't want me to have the pout either, but I got it," said Scorpius, remembering the times his dad would mockingly lament that the pout had nothing on the Imperius Curse.

Narcissa wrapped her arm around her grandson's shoulders. "I'm so relieved that nothing happened to you today, my love," she said in a whisper that stabbed at Scorpius' conscience. She kissed the side of his head. Scorpius placed his hand on top of hers.

Scorpius felt a weight on his chest and his scar was burning, not tingling. It was a different feeling. He started to realize that he was crying at that moment. "It's my fault she's dead," he said. "She died because she was trying to keep me alive. She died for me."

"I know," whispered Narcissa, "I know."

By the time the students had arrived at Hogwarts, the press had released their evening editions and it wasn't good at all. There were photographs and headlines that didn't cast the Aurors in a good light and the words "serial killer" was splashed across many of the papers. Scorpius was also in the news again. "This is scary," said Fred as he looked at the papers. "No wonder your dad was always so worried about him, Al."

Albus was shaken by the news and he was worried that the Aurors had just taken Scorpius away without much of an explanation. Lily was just as worried and she was clenching and unclenching her hands. "He wasn't hurt. They would have said it," said Albus as he glanced at her. "Right?"

James could see that his younger siblings were very worried; even he couldn't say anything bad about Scorpius. "He's fine. Dad would have told us for sure if he wasn't," he reassured them. "Scorpius is too annoying not to be." He could still get a little jab in.

Lily glared at him and he backed off a bit. "He could be dead and they're not saying anything!" she exclaimed. She was close to tears at this point. Albus put his arm around her. She buried her face in her hands.

Albus said, "He's right. Dad would have told us already if something happened, or even Uncle Ron or Teddy."

"Then let's send them owls and find out," suggested Fred. "We should hear from Scorpius himself. I wonder why he kept it all a secret like that."

"He didn't from all of us, did he, Al?" asked James.

Albus replied, "Why do you think he had nightmares all the time? On the night that he had that horrible dream where he was screaming in our house, he saw that healer and his partner get killed on the bank of the Thames. He saw it. It wasn't a dream. A serial killer has been hunting him for two years now. That's why Dad always has to make arrangements for him and why Uncle Neville is training him in self-defense."

"This same killer killed his cousins," said Fred as he skimmed the article. "What kind of sick bastard kills little girls on Christmas Eve?"

"That's what our dad is trying to figure out," said James. He asked Albus, "What about that hole in Malfoy's side? That was from the killer, wasn't it?"

Albus nodded as he answered, "Scorpius was the first one hit that day. His mum died first, then his dad. His dad shielded him from the worst of it. Scorpius had to wait for almost an hour after it was over. It was horrible. That's why he doesn't talk about it." His voice was hoarse. "I shouldn't have said anything."

Fred said, "He didn't sleep much when we came over. He would leave and go downstairs to read so we could sleep, but I heard him leaving his own room to do it."

"He did the same thing at our house," said Lily as she lowered her hands.

"That's why he reads a lot," said Albus. "He reads a lot to keep his mind occupied, so he doesn't think about it."

"Merlin only knows just how much Scorpius knows without knowing," said James, which was rather prophetic for him.

Lily got up and walked out of the common room, even her brothers were worried about her. Neither of them could follow her. Albus followed her as far as the girls' staircase. She ended up at her desk next to her bed and she did something she hadn't done before. She pulled out a piece of parchment and for the first time ever she decided that she would boldly approach Scorpius overtly no matter who would see it. Lily wrote a letter to him and she was going to borrow Albus' owl to send it.

As far as Lily was concerned, she wasn't about to lose Scorpius without ever having him. She also wasn't going to let the rest of the world not know that someone outside of his family didn't care about him.

* * *

Author's Note: I completed the challenge for NaNoWriMo by getting to the 50,000 words, but the story itself isn't done. I was working on that because it was close to done. This one is a bit longer. This story has a staggering word count. In my story, Scorpius' birthday would be coming up. I have some more time during the work week (writing at work, don't judge me).

Ongoing computer problems mildly crippled me.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	58. Part 58: The Black Widow's Lair

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Fifty-Eight: The Black Widow's Lair

Lucius Malfoy was too late. He had dallied too long at the Headquarters of the Aurors. The house was once occupied, but the resident hardly came back at all. He went inside using his wand to unlock the door. The place looked like someone had thrashed it in a rash bit of temper. There were things strewed about and shattered vases, figurines, and glass.

He didn't lower his wand. Lucius wasn't going to go to the Aurors and tell them who they were after. Not until he was done with the bastard himself. He wasn't going to let him slip through his fingers again. Not until he was done. Not until he was sure that the bastard was dead. Nothing else matter anymore. Nothing.

He walked around the house, checking every door and every nook and cranny. Lucius saw that the person who was here was long gone. He had vanished, but Lucius knew that he wouldn't be gone for long. Not long at all.

Lucius Malfoy was a Death Eater. He was one of the followers of Lord Voldemort and he knew how to do his curses. He knew his Forbidden Curses well. He had even used all three of them at one point. He was well versed in the dark arts and so was his quarry.

His relationship with his son was complicated. Draco was intractable when he became a full fledged adult. Lucius never completely understood his own son just as much as Draco never completely understood him either. Lucius was many things: killer, dark art practitioner, cold hearted pureblood, but he was also a father and a grandfather.

In the last two years, Lucius had to cut out his own heart to protect it. He had to keep it safe and sound so that no one could get to it because after his son's murderer it damn near broke. He couldn't stand the sight of his own grandson because he reminded him of his own grief and pain. It was driving him mad. The only way to stop the pain was to kill its source and it didn't matter what it cost, even if it cost him his own heart.

Lucius ended up in the sitting room. He opened the door of the closet in there. It was there that he had found something that he hadn't expected. There was a body inside. It looked as if it had been left there, bundled up to the point where it was mummified. He didn't touch it. He knew who it was. He had spoken to her on several occasions.

He looked at the state of the room. It was much worse off than the rest of the house. The pictures that were once on the mantle were left shattered and broken on the floor. The woman in the closet had met a fate that was undignified as any one of the men in the pictures. He would have killed himself if it hadn't been done already. He left the room and continued until he ended up in the study.

The study was a wreck like the rest of the house. The articles of the murders were laid out. There were pictures of Draco and the other victims, even one from Draco's wedding. They were all together in that shot. It made the flame in Lucius' gut flare. The killer was in the picture with the rest of the groomsmen and the rest of the bridal party. They even had managed to get Pansy Parkinson in the shot despite her reluctance. It made Lucius physical ill to look at it, knowing that fifteen years later, they'd all be murdered by someone they were so close to in a photograph.

Lucius didn't care to know the motives of a serial killer. He was going to destroy him. He was going to make sure that he would be dead no matter what. Lucius saw the articles on Scorpius. He reached out and touched the picture of when his grandson was younger. There was a spark there that had dimmed after his parents were taken from him. Lucius remembered seeing that same spark in Draco when he was younger.

Lucius remembered also when Draco had lost it. It was after the war when they had reunited as a family. Draco was never the same after that. He had witness so much that it had aged him and left him jaded, scarred, and broken. Watching his only child fall to pieces after everything that he and his wife had done to save him, almost broke him.

Draco was angry with the world after the war. He testified in court that he would have let the Ministry use the full punishment on him after what he had done or rather what he didn't do. Draco said that they didn't deserve to be free after the war because of what they had let happen.

Lucius blamed himself. He wasn't there to protect his family like he should have, but that was Potter's fault as far as he was concerned. Lucius was in Azkaban, going mad, while the Dark Lord and Voldemort took over his house, holding his family hostage. Draco was forced to give up his childhood and forced to join.

Lucius remembered the letter that Narcissa had sent with great alarm. She said that Draco had been summoned and the Dark Lord himself branded the mark on Draco's wrist, leaving him cold, sick, and passed out. Severus Snape had to tend to him after that initiation. It was then that Narcissa had started to make her own plans to keep their family safe.

At the end of the war, the chasm that had started between father and son when Lucius was arrested and thrown to Azkaban had turned into an impossible void that neither could cross. Draco had gone his own way eventually, finding a way to make amends for what he had done. Lucius found out by accident what his son was up to.

In the beginning of Draco's crusade as the Inquisitor, he drew information from Lucius as to the whereabouts of fugitive Death Eaters that had eluded Potter and the other Aurors' efforts. One by one, Lucius read the news as each of his old comrades were taken in. Lucius was worried as rumors started that there was someone lurking the shadows, bring down these Death Eaters to face justice for their crimes.

Lucius had dropped by to see one of the Death Eaters living Prague sometime after his grandson was born. He came just as Draco had knocked out that Death Eater and wiped his memory clean. To this day, Lucius couldn't understand why Draco hadn't made him forget what he was doing or what he was. Perhaps in a twisted way, Draco was still seeking Lucius' approval, hoping to make him proud.

Lucius left the house and the body behind in the closet. He decided to do something that would later draw attention. He used a spell to lob balls of fire onto the house. He stood outside in the cold January day, watching it burn to the ground. Not even the heat of the flame could warm his cold heart.

Harry had summoned Rita Skeeter to Auror Headquarters to meet wit him. She came with her Quik Quill ready, but Harry wasn't alone. They met in the conference room with Ron and Hermione in attendance. Rita hadn't changed all that much over the years. Her suits were still tight and her glasses still gaudy. She said after the basic pleasantries were exchanged, "Harry Potter, I never thought you'd be asking me to come."

"You know why you're here, Skeeter," said Harry.

Rita smiled as she said, "I haven't the foggiest notion. Although, I would like to have an interview with the lead investigator of the current investigation of a serial killer, but the way I see it, I might have more to bargain with than I thought."

Hermione said, "Rita, we looked at your article. You have information about the killer that we didn't release to the press."

Rita smiled even more at this. "I find it ironic that you of all people care about the murder of Draco Malfoy, Harry. You two weren't exactly school chums, now were you? Some might say that you would have been a viable suspect in his murder," she said. She looked at the other two, "That goes for both of you."

"Innocent people are being murdered, whole families," said Ron.

Rita didn't soften at this. "You were the one who found the Goyles. Two weeks after they were long dead. How bad was it?" she asked as her quill poised for his response.

Ron gave her a glare that would have sent chills down a person spine, if they had a conscience. Rita didn't have any such handicaps.

"What do you want?" snapped Hermione. "Stop toying with us."

"A joint interview," replied Rita as she straightened up her body much like a cat would do must before it pounced on its prey.

"With who?" asked Harry.

Rita leaned in as she answered, looking intently at him, "With you and Scorpius Malfoy. The boy hasn't given a single interview since the murders of his parents. Everyone wants to know what is going on with him from his own lips. No comment, no press release. Nothing. You gave me an exclusive once when you were his age. I want one with him."

Harry said, "I can't make such arrangements for him. It has to go through his grandmother first."

"Ah, you have some insight on the divorce proceedings between the Malfoys. The estates are enormous and Lucius Malfoy will be petitioning for sole custody of his grandson because of yesterday's latest murder," she said. "He might be more willing to allow it."

Hermione shook her head, "Such petitions take time. In the meantime, we don't know who else will be murdered. I will file a formal complaint against you and you will be formally charged with impeding an ongoing investigation."

"You are free to do so, Mrs. Weasley," said Rita rather sweetly, "but as you have just said there might be another murder in the mean time. Can you live with yourselves if someone else gets killed because you couldn't convince Scorpius Malfoy to do one little interview with me?"

"You are a sick woman," muttered Ron.

Harry said, "Those are you terms. You really don't care if another child gets murdered. Or if entire families obliterated." He pulled back. "Get out. Leave before I have you thrown in a cell."

Rita leaned back and the quill had stopped moving. She got up and the quill flew to her. "You know where to find me, Harry." She let herself out of the room.

Hermione wondered which one of them would slam his hands on the table first. It was Ron as he shot to his feet and started to pace the length of the room. "Unbelievable! People are dying and we have to make deals with that bitch! If anyone else dies, I'll personally drag her to a cell!" he rallied.

Harry's anger was deeper. "She's right," he admitted. "We don't have a choice. If anyone else dies, I'm going to blame myself because I had a chance to stop it, but I didn't."

"You can't make a deal with her, Harry," argued Hermione.

"We don't have a choice. All we can do is ask Scorpius," said Harry.

Ron empathetically said, "He can barely talk about it. She will be relentless, merciless. You can't put him through that, Harry. You can't. We're supposed to protect him. His parents aren't around to do that, but we are."

Harry nodded as he glanced at Hermione. They had always been the sides of his conscience since he was a child. "I know that you're avoiding making the mistakes that were made in regards to you. If that is one thing you and Draco Malfoy have in common, it's that you've gone out of your way to protect that child. There is a difference between shielding him from the bad things by telling him as little as possible and telling him just enough to survive and get out alive," she said.

"The Malfoys have decided that they're not going to stay in Manderlay. They don't know if the defenses there are good enough, so they decided that they would go to Black Manor," said Harry as he got to his feet. "I'll go there. Teddy is there right now, visiting with them. I think he's making plans with his grandmother to temporarily move there."

"The last time they were there was for the funeral of Draco and Astoria," said Ron. "That was the last time we were there, too."

"I'll go on my own," said Harry. "Stay here and find a way to trace Skeeter's source. She's the link we've got to killer."

"If she's not careful, she'll make the news as the next victim," said Hermione.

"I don't know if I'd feel badly about that," said Ron.

The letters from the students in Hogwarts were slowly making their way to Scorpius. He received the letter from Lily among them. He had never gotten a letter from her before. He opened it and he read it. It was one of worry and concern.

He didn't know how to answer it. He decided to leave it for later. After what had happened with a simple exchange of letters, Scorpius wasn't ready to write anyone back after that. He was still trying to make sense of what was going on around. He had started to have more nightmares again. Another face was added to the host of faces that haunted his dreams, leaving him restless and worn out.

Also, Scorpius didn't know how to respond to Lily's letter. He didn't want her or anyone else worrying, but he had no idea what to tell her about what was going on. He wasn't fine. He was a terrible, frightful mess. He had had no idea how to deal with her because he couldn't deal with himself.

The letters that he had written Pansy had been turned over to the Aurors, but they were currently being investigated by Teddy, who so far hadn't brought up what he had read. It was going to be awkward if Harry found out what was going on. Not that anything was going on and there wasn't going to be. At least that's what Scorpius thought.

He didn't know that once a Weasley girl settled on something it was impossible to unsettle her. Teddy didn't even try to warn him about that. There was little point to it and Teddy figured it would be more fun to sit back and watch a few years down the line. For the time being, Scorpius couldn't devote much of his mental energy to it.

The security detail continued to stay and changed in shifts accordingly. Teddy stayed around even though he wasn't supposed to. Not even Harry could get him to stand down and stay out of the way. He was trying to keep his godson out of parts of the investigation.

Scorpius and Teddy were pouring over old family photo albums one of the many rooms of Black Manor, which was more like a castle than a manor house. It was one of the old bastions of the pure bloods that had gone years by. The house had sheltered one of the oldest families in all of England. In the end the old house had remained stalwart, even if its occupants had not. The branch that currently held Black Manor as theirs was Narcissa Malfoy's. The house should have gone to her cousins, who were the males in the family, but they were dead and gone.

"You kind of look like this bloke here, Teddy," said Scorpius, referring to the picture of one of their relatives from the Tudor period with a pointy beard.

"Maybe sometimes," admitted Teddy. He looked up and saw his godfather at the door. "Hello, Harry."

"Good afternoon, Mr. Potter," said Scorpius politely.

Harry could see that he was worse for wear. There were dark circles under Scorpius' eyes and looked exhausted. They were the floor and all Harry could say with a sigh was, "I'll see if Healer Thomas can prescribe you some dreamless draught."

Scorpius opened his mouth to object, but then nodded. "Any developments?" asked Teddy.

"I need to talk to you and your grandmother, Scorpius," said Harry. "Where is she?"

"In the kitchen, Mr. Potter," replied Scorpius as he got to his feet. He did it the same way he normally did it, which was rocking to his feet and pushing upwards that way. Teddy used his arms to get up.

"What is going on?" asked Teddy.

Harry said as they went towards the kitchen, "There's been a development, but in order for us to get more information we need to do something that you might not like, Scorpius."

"What?" asked Scorpius.

"I'll explain to you and your grandmother."

When they got to the kitchen, the sisters had made lunch for everyone to keep busy, which included the Aurors who were on guard duty. Harry at this point said, "No wonder people are volunteering to do the detail here." He sounded vaguely amused.

The ladies looked up at him. "Hello Harry," greeted Narcissa as she wiped her hands. "What brings you here?"

Harry gave the gist of the meeting with Rita Skeeter, which Narcissa and Scorpius listened to with rapt interest. He concluded, "The choice is up to you, Scorpius. She's wants an exclusive. If you don't want to do it, we're already working on a way to get to her source, but if we can't do it, then who knows what else will happen."

After a moment, Scorpius gave his answer, "Let's do it. I won't have any more blood on my hands."

"Are you sure?" asked Narcissa. "Wouldn't it be easier for us to just force it out of her?"

"What is with you and the Imperius Curse, Aunt Cissy?" asked Teddy.

"We could do it," said Andromeda seriously.

Teddy, in a shocked voice, exclaimed, "Grandmother!"

"This is family, Teddy," said Andromeda fiercely as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I am the only normal one in this family," said Teddy with a sigh.

Scorpius pointed out, "Wouldn't that make you abnormal?"

"Shut it," muttered his cousin.

Harry shook his head as he looked straight into Scorpius' eyes. He could see the glint of determination in them. He said, "I don't want to be the one to force you into doing anything. But your grandmother is right for asking if you are sure about this."

"I haven't had a chance to have a say about anything," said Scorpius. "I'm in a talkative mood."

"I'll set it up," said Harry.

Lucius Malfoy returned to Malfoy Manor. He poured himself some hundred year old fire whiskey. He loosened his cloak and tossed it carelessly on the chair in his study. He had a feeling that his quarry had gone underground since the attack at King's Cross. Lucius would have to find a way to draw him out.

The thought of reporting what he knew to the Aurors had never crossed his mind. He never trusted the Aurors, which was the reason why he didn't approve of them protecting his grandson. The boy was a self-righteous brat just like his father. Lucius wondered over and over again where he had gone wrong with his son.

Lucius and Narcissa knew that having a child during the year that Draco was born was dangerous. Draco was born in June, but only because they had gone out of their way to make sure of it. They even picked the day of Draco's birth so that it would be as far from July as possible without putting him and Narcissa in distress.

In the end, Draco had gone out of his way to avoid being like Lucius as much as possible. It made Lucius feel guilty. He had done what he thought was right at the time and that was what every parent always did.

Draco wouldn't tell Scorpius about the true nature of his work. Lucius swirled his fire whiskey in deep thought. All he could think about was the missed chance he had to kill the man who had murdered his son. How far was he willing to go to exact his revenge?

He took a swig of the whiskey and stared at the fire. He had already given up everything to get this far. He wasn't the only person who had a stake all this. He was the only one who didn't have enough of a soul left to lose.

* * *

Author's Note: Since the story puts Scorpius' birthday this month, I decided to update more frequently as a gift to the readers. That aside, this is sort of a filler chapter. I hope to crank out one more before the New Year. It all depends on how busy things are at work.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	59. Part 59: Interrogation Room

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Fifty-Nine: Interrogation Room

Scorpius was still hold up at Black Manor. At night, Professor Longbottom visited during the night to make sure that his student was keeping up with his lessons. The school had petitioned the ministry to allow Scorpius to use his wand for the lessons. It was another concession that Scorpius didn't feel comfortable with. However, he didn't voice it this time.

Professor Longbottom had taken on the added duty, but not alone. Professor Chang and Professor Larkin had also filled in the gaps as well, making sure that Professor Longbottom had the extra help he needed for this. Professor Chang came by to visit during the day. She kept Scorpius up on his Charms, Muggle Studies, Ancient Runes, and Arithmancy. Professor Longbottom did History, Herbology, and practical applications of DADA. Professor Larkin covered Transfiguration, Potions and theoretical DADA. Because it was the OWLs weren't too far off, the school wanted to make sure that Scorpius could keep up.

By the second week, Scorpius was stuck in the library doing the assignments that he had been assigned. He still wasn't getting enough sleep, but since the teachers couldn't make it until the afternoon and into the evening, it didn't really matter if he couldn't be up early in the morning. In the mornings, he practiced his violin and piano. It could be said that his grades were probably improving due to the fact that his grandmother and aunt were nearby and if he had any hint of belligerence, they would be informed about it and swift action was taken.

It was Professor Larkin that had often complained about Scorpius' lack of focus. He often told his student was annoyingly brilliant, but frustrating because he was lazy. Scorpius took it in stride, but made snide retorts. Of course, this resulted in Scorpius getting scolded by his grandmother or aunt later before Professor Longbottom came.

Before the interview was to take place, Harry met with Neville at the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade to discuss Scorpius. After hearing what Rita Skeeter had done, Neville was extremely vexed. "I can't believe that harpy," he muttered.

"Scorpius has agreed to it," said Harry.

"Make sure that Quik Quill of hers is snapped before you start," advised Neville.

Harry said, "Narcissa Malfoy will have the lawyers on standby. We've also got Hermione going there, too, if anyone can keep Skeeter in line it's her."

"Scorpius keeps asking me when he can go back to school," said Neville. "It's getting harder and hard to say we'll see." Harry felt a pang of guilt. He was the one who had recommended Scorpius's extended absence. Neville went on, "He misses his friends. Al keeps asking after him."

Harry said, "He's been writing me and Ginny to ask. Fred's started, too, after the first week. I can't cave to children, Neville." He sighed. The last time he caved Scorpius witnessed another murder right in front of him.

"Me neither," agreed Neville. "You're only getting letters, Harry. I've got to face them on both sides."

"I wonder why he hasn't asked me directly yet," said Harry.

Neville provided the answer, "Because you're like his dad and he knows better than to ask."

Harry frowned a bit. Then he recalled other times that Scorpius had held back. "I don't think Draco Malfoy would have caved so easily. He did a better job of keep his son away from seeing so much gore."

"Any leads on the killer other than Skeeter?" asked Neville.

"We're looking at so many angles that we can't see straight," answered Harry.

Neville said, "Sometimes if you've got your nose pressed up against something,, you can't see what's really there. It's like one of Ally's picture books."

"I blink and someone dies," said Harry.

Neville gave Harry a look. "I thought about it and you know that Scorpius can be helpful if you let him. He's seen through the eyes of the killer. Maybe he can tap further in."

Harry immediately shook his head, strongly objecting, "No, I will not let him do it. He's been through enough."

"He brought it up, not me," said Neville.

"Tell him, no," insisted Harry. "I've got to protect him no matter what. And where do you come off saying that? How could you even suggest putting him in danger? You were the one who took the Unbreakable Vow."

"I'm telling you in case he does it, Harry, so we won't be blindsided," said Neville. He knew that Harry was protective of Scorpius, but this was reaching new heights. "We all want to protect him, Harry. But at the same time, don't make the same mistake his father did. Draco swaddled him so much that he it's a wonder he can handle so much so fast. Telling a child the world doesn't have monsters out there when there are doesn't protect them from harm. It makes them more vulnerable."

"I used to wonder how Dumble could just not tell me what I needed to know or why the Order kept things from me," said Harry. "I've never understood until now. Draco Malfoy did the same thing for his son. He said that most parents want to give their children the world, but he wanted to give Scorpius a better one."

"Malfoy's dad didn't spare him from any of it," said Neville. "Look at what it did to him."

"We've lost track of Lucius Malfoy's whereabouts," said Harry. "Other than his lawyers petitioning for sole custody of Scorpius, there isn't much else."

"That's not good," said Neville. "That isn't good at all."

"We're trying to track him down," said Harry. "I haven't told his family yet."

"Scorpius is worried about the petition Lucius has put forth," said Neville. "He said that his grandfather will most likely pop up when he's least expected to. I couldn't agree with him more considering what happened at the Ministry all those years ago in our fifth year."

Harry nodded as he took a swig of butterbeer. He had a bad feeling about Lucius Malfoy not being found. He couldn't help but remember the Minister's warning about not letting Lucius Malfoy finish the job for him. "We think he knows exactly who we're after. After Parkinson's murder, he's gone underground and Malfoy's going to follow him down."

"Scorpius says that Lucius doesn't care who he hurts," said Neville. "He wants revenge, Harry. Scorpius wants justice."

"You can't get both," said Harry. He paused before adding, "Not without a hefty price."

The interview was at Auror Headquarters to give Scorpius some sense of security. Rita Skeeter came ahead of her main subject. Ron took away her Quik Quill with mock apology and gave her a set of parchment and gave her a set of parchment and a Ministry issued quill to use. "This is an absolutely blatant attempt to do a cover up, Mr. Weasley," complained Skeeter.

"Put that in your article," retorted Ron as he stalked off. He held back a chuckle.

A photographer was there, but he had been ordered to hold off taking pictures until he was allowed to. "How long are we supposed to wait?" demanded Skeeter. It was only five minutes.

"Hello Ms. Skeeter," greeted Scorpius with cool politeness. He came up flanked by Harry and Hermione on either side.

Rita Skeeter got to her feet. Scorpius stood more than a few inches taller than her. "Well, it's about time, Scorpius. May I call you, Scorpius?" she asked.

Scorpius nodded.

"We've prepared an interview room. This way," said Harry as he turned on his heel.

Skeeter and her photographer followed them. "I didn't know you'd be here, Hermione," she said.

Hermione said, "Narcissa Malfoy wanted an advocate present for her grandson during the interview. I'm here to make sure that things go as smoothly as possible and _squash_ anything that might get out of hand." Hermione sounded pleasant, but there was a definite threat there.

Skeeter scowled at the word that Hermione used. She wiped it off her face as soon as Scorpius glanced at her. Scorpius kept his right hand in his pocket to keep from touching his scar, which was burning at the moment.

"This is it," announced Harry as he opened the door to one of the conference rooms.

"After you, Mrs. Weasley. Ms. Skeeter," offered Scorpius.

After everyone got settled with both parties on opposite sides, Hermione sat closer to the middle and the photographer took a few photos of both Harry and Scorpius, carefully leaving Hermione out of the shot. Scorpius was blinded by the flashes, but when his vision cleared he could see that Harry's jaw had tightened the same way Albus' did when James teased him.

"Let's begin, shall we?" asked Skeeter. She wrote her notes. "Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, son of slain victims, Draco and Astoria Malfoy. Nephew of Gregory and Daphne Goyle. Cousin of Diana and Anastasia Goyle."

"Annie. She couldn't say her whole name at the time, so she was called Annie," corrected Scorpius.

Skeeter nodded and made the note. "The public has been wondering about what to make of you, Scorpius. You've been keeping them guessing."

"Funny, I've been trying to figure that out myself," said Scorpius offhandedly.

"I've had several interviews with your father when he was about your age," said Skeeter. She could see the lack of reaction on Scorpius' face. "You told him, didn't you, Harry?"

"If you're expecting met to cry for the camera, you'll be waiting a while," said Scorpius.

"Very wel," said Skeeter as she said, "I want you to tell me about how the last two years have been like for you. You just turned fifteen last Christmas. The day must have been very hard on you."

"You have no idea," said Scorpius.

"Tell us about that day. Everyone would like to know."

Scorpius could hardly articulate what had happened. He had only told two people almost exactly what had happened. "My parents died protecting me," said Scorpius softly. "My dad died to make sure I'd live."

"There has been a lot of comparison between you and Harry Potter," said Skeeter. "How do you feel about that?"

"I don't think I could have handled the pressure that Mr. Potter faced," replied Scorpius. "My situation is hard the same as his."

"You've inherited a great deal of wealth after the deaths of your parents, aunt, and uncle. Yet you gave away the bulk of your aunt and uncle's estate to charity, why?"

"Because it can't get me what I want, Ms. Skeeter. What would be the point, if I can't have them?"

Rita Skeeter settled in her chair as she wordlessly observed her subject. The boy, who was more of a young man, was just sources had said, mature and direct. He had a way of off putting adults. There was definitely something strange about this child. "You are also at odds with your grandfather, Lucius Malfoy, which is very strange indeed. Is that true?"

"It's his fault, not mine," said Scorpius defensively. "If he wasn't such a prat, we'd get along. You can put that in the paper."

Skeeter had a smile on her face. "Now, that's the Malfoy I remember," she said with satisfaction. Scorpius rolled his eyes. "You are at the age where you're growing up. We have a lot of interested female readers."

Scorpius arched an eyebrow. "You can't seriously be asking me about that."

Harry shook his head, but broke out in a grin. He was rather curious as well. Hermione knew of at least one girl who had more than a passing fancy for Scorpius, but she didn't smile.

"I'm trying to humanize you, Scorpius," said Skeeter.

"You first, Ms. Skeeter," snorted Scorpius.

"You are fifteen years old, handsome, and extraordinary. Tell me what you are looking for in a girl," insisted Skeeter.

Scorpius rolled his eyes and held his lips in a firm line. Then he lied, "I haven't had a chance to think about it."

"Harry, you're part of this interview," said Skeeter. "Any sagely advice?"

Harry looked at Scorpius as he said, "Don't let all the bad things control your life. And don't ignore the girl right in front of you to protect her."

Hermione almost laughed, but stifled it. She hadn't even told Ron about their niece's crush on her brother's best friend. Actually, Hermione was almost sure that it was fast becoming the family's worst kept secret. Ron was even more oblivious than Harry in such matters. Harry was either totally unaware or in denial. It was hard to tell.

Scorpius had an unreadable expression on his face. "Thank you for your advice, Mr. Potter," he said politely as always.

"You are best friends with Harry's son, aren't you?" asked Skeeter. "Isn't it a bit strange for you, Harry?"

"At first," admitted Harry. "But it does make it easier for us to keep guard over him." He paused and added, "I'd do whatever it takes to keep him safe just like any of my children."

Skeeter wrote down Harry's response. "I suppose you would," she murmured. She looked up at him. "You and Draco Malfoy seemed to have a lot more in common than most people realize. Scorpius, do you about the true nature of your father's work?"

Scorpius shrugged, throwing a sidelong glance at Harry. "He was a security consultant," he said with some hesitation.

"Not really," said Skeeter. "I have it on good authority that he was the Inquisitor."

"On whose authority?" demanded Harry.

"My source," replied Skeeter with a Cheshire cat like grin.

The scar flamed as Scorpius' features twisted into an angry scowl. Hermione saw it and firmly shook her head. They had gone over this. "You mean the murderer, don't you?" seethed Scorpius, ignoring Hermione's warning.

Skeeter saw the look of quiet rage and it caught her off guard. "I see I've hit a nerve."

"You're bloody right, you've hit a never," snarled Scorpius. He leaned in with frightening ferocity. "How dare you force an interview with me while you shield a murderer. He almost killed me. I almost bled to death. He left me to die."

Skeeter wasn't alarmed this time. She had had her share of interviews and outrage was an emotion she knew how to deal with. "For the sake of journalistic integrity and correctness," Scorpius glared at her even more strongly as Hermione snorted, "it wasn't him who did it. There were two killers." She held up two manicured fingers.

Scorpius looked confused and looked to Harry for answers. "The shoe tracks inside the Goyle House and the bank side shows two distinctive sets," said Harry.

Skeeter said the rest, "One of them matched Pansy Parkinson, didn't it?"

"What?" asked Scorpius. His brain was trying to process it. "But she's dead. She was killed right in front of me."

Skeeter made her notes as Hermione said, "She was under the Imperius Curse. The killer used her as a weapon." She was trying to make Scorpius feel better.

"Enough of this," said Harry angrily. "Skeeter tells us how the killer is contacting you."

Scorpius interrupted, "He knows she's here right now." Under the table, Scoripus had placed his hand over his scar. "He's sent her here to give him answers and once he's got them printed, he'll kill her." His voice was firm and certain. Skeeter's facial movements flickered ever so slightly. "You know it, too, don't you, Ms. Skeeter?"

"He wants to know how you're still alive," said Skeeter in a calm voice.

"My dad saved me. He shielded me," said Scorpius. He didn't talk about the scar and the spell. He wasn't thinking about those things. He wasn't thinking about those things. He was back two Christmases ago in that moment. Harry could see it. Scorpius shuddered.

Harry grabbed his wrist to stead him and bring him back.

"The killer sent his communications through the Prohept," said Skeeter as she lay her quill down. "He was there at the hospital when you made your speech. He clapped for you."

Scorpius' eyes widened. "I knew it," he muttered a moment later. "I knew he was there. I could feel it."

"Why is he doing it?" asked Hermione. "Why kill so many innocent people?"

Skeeter shook her head. "How should I know? I don't want to know. That's your job. All I know is once this interview is published, I'm dead."

"If you have any family, they'll die first," said Scorpius. Then he swallowed. "That's what he does. He makes sure that your family and loved ones dies in front you first, the kills you. You die with the knowledge that you failed them." His voice was just above a whisper, but the room was so quiet that every word seemed to resonate.

Rita Skeeter stared at him for a very long time as if she could see how blank Scorpius' eyes were when he talked about. How mechanical he was. "He's only varied his pattern twice since he started."

"You are the sole survivor," said Skeeter as she picked up her quill again, but it didn't touch the parchment. "He's reached victims far out of the protection of the Aurors. If he can kill the Inquistor, what chance do the rest of us have?"

"Are you asking me to stop him?" asked Scorpius.

Skeeter looked up from her parchment. "He'll find you. He's getting closer to you."

"You're the second person he's used to get to me," said Scorpius. "You already know what he did to her."

"The public knows you as a survivor, but they are interested in so much more."

"What could they possibly want to know? You've had contact with the killer and yet you're trying to justify why you're sitting here talking to me. I know I'm on the hit list and so are you."

"He wants to know why you're still alive and not just because your father was protecting you. He said that he asked you how you were still alive."

Scorpius blinked in surprise as he asked, "You mean I've spoken with him directly? Face to face?"

Harry and Hermione shared identical looks of alarm. "And he was at the hospital," said Harry.

"Why does he want me dead so badly?"

"I didn't get to ask that question," said Skeeter. "Do you know why?"

Scorpius racked his brain. Then he said the secret that he was keeping. He said, "You tell him I know about the lady. The one he killed with his bare hands."

Harry glanced at Scorpius. "What are you talking about, Scorpius? What lady?"

"He strangled her, choked the life out of her. He didn't killer her like the others, not even like Pansy. He enjoyed it more than the others. I could tell." Scorpius wasn't looking at Harry. He was looking right at Skeeter. His voice was mechanical and his eyes were cold.

"Tell me," ordered Harry. He put his hand Scorpius' shoulder, forgetting about the shield. It shocked Harry, forcing him away.

"What was that?" exclaimed the photographer.

Scorpius snapped out of it, realizing that he might have injured Harry. "Sorry, Mr. Potter. I'm sorry," he said it quickly, looking ashamed of himself.

"It's all right," muttered Harry, still smarting from the shock. "This interview is over." He said this in no uncertain terms.

* * *

Author's Note: Lots of dialogue in this chapter. The end is still a bit off. I would like to thank all the readers and reviewers so far for making this story. I didn't intend to make this story so long and complicated. I must say I was influenced heavily by murder mystery novels and thrillers like Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy. This chapter was written just prior to my vacation. I also wrote some more chapters following this one and I plan on continuing with the posting. Things are moving along.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	60. Part 60: Evidence Room

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Sixty: Evidence Room

Skeeter concluded her interview with Scorpius and left with the photographer. The Aurors were now in position to tail her. Before leaving the offices, Scorpius broached on the subject of returning to the school, "May I please go back to school now, Mr. Potter?"

"Are you sure?" asked Harry. "It's out in the open and once that interview is published, you'll draw more attention."

Scorpius seriously considered it for a moment. He nodded. "I feel like a prisoner at Black Manor and at Manderlay," he said. "And the school's protected already, but their protections are still in place."

Harry nodded. Then he advised, "Don't let all that chatter get to you. Just stay close to your friends and you'll be fine."

"What about what he said back there?" interrupted Hermione as Ron came to them, ready to ask what had happened.

"Let's have lunch first," said Harry. "In my office."

At lunch, Harry asked Scorpius about the lady. Scorpius told them about the dreadful vision he had had. "Why didn't you tell anyone before?" asked Harry in a deceptively leveled voice. They were barely eating anything, but Scorpius ended up having more to eat because Hermione had insisted on it.

"Because it's hard to tell if my nightmares are real or not, Mr. Potter," replied Scorpius. "Every night. Every night it's always a bad night. You might be able to protect me on the outside, but you can't protect me from what my own mind is doing to me."

"No, I can't," admitted Harry guiltily. "I can give you the tools to cope though."

Ron said, "So we've got another murder to investigate."

"It sounds so radically different than the others. What do you remember seeing other than the victim?" asked Hermione.

"It was an old house, like Malfoy Manor or Black Manor, even Greengrass Glen," said Scorpius. "Believe me, I know expensive antiques when I see them. I can't tell you the number of times that my dad and mum told me not to touch things because they were old."

"So a rich house?" asked Ron.

"It was dark. Of course, it was because it was night time. She was sitting in an armchair doing something. Maybe embroidery," said Scorpius. "She was sitting there across from a fireplace with pictures sitting on it. She was in all of them, but the men were all different. They looked like wedding pictures. But I don't know who she was."

Harry glanced at Ron and Hermione. "We'll need a Pensieve. You might not know who she is, but we might."

"Again?" asked Scorpius with a pained sigh.

"Um…ours is on loan right now," Ron reminded Harry.

"We've got one in evidence. I'm sure that the previous owner won't mind," said Harry. "Considering we'll be using it to help catch his killer."

"My dad's Pensieve," figured Scorpius.

"Actually, I think it's your now," said Ron. "We have it in evidence, but it's not really evidence in a crime. It's part of an ongoing investigation, but once its over it would go to the next of kin. Almost all of it would."

"Fine," said Scorpius.

"Don't worry. We'll be right there," assured Hermione, seeing how scared he was. "We won't let anything happen to you."

"Of course not, I'm scared of his grandmother," said Ron.

"Me, too," admitted Scorpius. "She said only fear and intimidation works with Malfoys."

Hermione smiled, "Oddly enough, that works on Weasleys, too. Must be a pureblood thing."

Ron said, "Don't listen to her." Scorpius smiled a bit.

They got into labyrinth that was the evidence rooms. Harry and Ron knew exactly where the evidence from the biggest case in their careers was kept. Draco Malfoy had an entire section devoted to him. His warehouse was still closed off as evidence, too.

The Pensieve that Draco had wasn't a heavy, earthen bowl like the one that the Aurors used. It was made of heavy metal without elaborate carvings on it. It was elegant in its minimal design much like Draco's home study in Manderlay. Scorpius ran his finger over the rim. It was warm to the touch. "I used to try on my dad's clothes and shoes while he was away," he said softly. "This feels like the same thing somehow."

"Remember how you did this before," instructed Harry as he poured the liquid into it. "You just need to focus on that one memory. Hang on to it, and then bring it out." He handed his wand to Scorpius.

Scorpius nodded and closed his eyes. He knew exactly where the memory was. It was close to the surface. He used the wand to pull it out in a silver light and dropped it into the Pensieve. Harry glimpsed inside of it and in a matter of minutes. He pulled back. "Ron…look, tell me I'm not wrong," he whispered.

Ron did what Harry had asked him and looked into the memory. "It's Delilah Zabini," he gasped.

There was a stunned silence as Scorpius took it in. "He asked me back in the graveyard, in front of my dad's grave. He asked me how I was still alive," he whispered. He started to shake and shiver.

"We don't have any direct evidence that it's him other than unconfirmed murder," interjected Hermione. "It might be completely separate. We need to confirm her whereabouts. Let's not jump to conclusions until we have all the facts."

"Hermione, I was there that day. I saw the effect that Zabini had on Scorpius. He did it. It was Blaise Zabini. I've interviewed him and I've actually shook hands with him, thanking him for his help," exclaimed Ron angrily. "All along, he's the one who killed them. He killed them all. That son of a bitch was right there. I should have arrested him. He came here, too. Watching us, taunting us." He slammed his hand on the bench. "What kind of Auror lets a killer walk around free?"

"He's a sociopath," said Harry. "Delilah Zabini was infamous. She murdered all of her husband. At least that's what the rumors all said. She was a black widow. She had gone into seclusion a few years ago."

"That's right," said Hermione. "I think it had more to do with her losing her looks than anything."

Scorpius said, "My scar. It's burning. It's been burning like hell since Pansy died. Even worse than usual."

"We need to get a location on him and we need to bring him in to question him again," said Harry. "Let's get you home, Scorpius."

"Yes, please, Mr. Potter," said Scorpius. He looked ill, but there was something else. He could feel it in his gut. He was having something inside of him. His anger was rising much like bile. He wondered if he could make Blaise Zabini feel the same way he did right at that moment.

Scorpius allowed himself to be brought back to Black Manor. He didn't say anything to his grandmother about the interview, claiming exhaustion and went to his room in Black Manor to rest. The room was one of many rooms in the old house. The house elves were tasked with keeping everything in order without being seen.

He thought back to the events that had haunted his life in the last two years. He wondered why Zabini wanted him dead. The answer was Scorpius' father. His dad knew what was coming and attempted to protect him as much as he could. There was a surge of anger towards Draco that Scorpius had quelled over and over again in the last two years. His dad had his big secrets that he took with him to his grave. If it was his father's work that got him killed, then Scorpius blamed his dad for his mum's death. Then almost as instantly as that anger came, the guilt washed over him. He curled into a ball in his bed. He missed his parents more than ever at that moment, feeling more alone than ever and feeling horrible for blaming them for dying and leaving them alone wasn't helping.

There was no way to keep Teddy out of parts of the investigation. Almost after Scorpius had left, he was ordered to come along with Harry and Ron. They had gathered a tactical team to head over to the Zabini house. Teddy asked Harry about what Scorpius had said during the interview, but there was no time. It didn't take much for Teddy to piece it together.

They were in for a major surprise though when they got to the Zabini's resident. "What the Bloody Hell happened here?" exclaimed Ron when he saw the wreckage.

The house was gone. There was nothing left but ruins. The building and ground looked like it had been razed by a great fire and the snow had left it a muddy marsh. "Merlin's beard, someone got here before us," said Teddy.

The Aurors were outfitted with Wellingtons and cloaks to keep dry and relatively clean as they looked around. The other Aurors gave their leader a look. "Let's process now," said Harry, glancing up at the sky. "Set up the perimeter and put up the wards. No one is to go pass them."

They got to work. It was one of the biggest scenes that they had been since Draco's warehouse. "Do you remember that scene back in Essex a few years back?" asked Ron to Harry. "That was one of those scenes that Malfoy didn't scrub down like he usually did."

Harry gave a wry smile as he remembered that vial, "Yeah, he said let Potter and his Aurors earn his tax galleons before he took off."

"That took three weeks," Ron reminded him. "This is going to be like that, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but at least all the people we found were still alive," replied Harry grimly.

Teddy hollered, "Harry! Ron! I found something!" His voice cut through Harry and Ron like a knife. They could hear the fear in his voice as they came running towards him.

"What?" they asked in unison.

"I was clearing this debris, when I found that," answered Teddy as he pointed to something in the wreckage. He looked a bit green and it had nothing to do with his abilities as a Metamorphmagus.

Harry knelt down and got a closer look. "It's a body," he confirmed. "It looks like it was here when the fire started." He used his wand to lift the body a bit. "Yes, it was here. The surface under is clean."

"Look at the pictures," said Ron, seeing what was left of the photographs that Scorpius had described. "That's got to be Delilah Zabini."

Teddy had pulled back, still looking sick. "What happened here? Who burned the house down?"

"Zabini?" suggested Ron.

"Let's get this body back to the morgue and get a positive ID first before we draw any conclusions," said Harry. He signaled the other two Aurors nearby and gave them the order. The body was taken away from scene as they looked through the rest of the wreckage.

It was grueling work. They found more evidence of Blaise Zabini's crimes. There were articles that had survived the fire. They examined, photographed, labeled, and packed everything. It was a very long day by the end. Teddy said to Harry, "He's the one who did it, isn't he? He's the reason why Scorpius doesn't have parents."

Harry said, "It's looking more and more like that. We need to find him and bring him in before he kills again."

"Scorpius knows now, doesn't he?" asked Teddy.

"This lead came from him. He saw Delilah Zabini's murder," said Harry. "That's what got us here."

"The interview will be published a matter of hours," said Teddy worriedly. "This will hit the news as well. They'll have a field day."

"Not if we bury it for now. We need to get every Auror out there to look for Zabini before it's too late. It looks like he got a few days head start. The snow has already fallen a few times before we got here," said Harry. "Tell Scorpius, he will have to return to Hogwarts. The protections at the school should be more sufficient, and Neville is there."

"Okay," nodded Teddy.

"We'll start the search. We need to have the next shift do it," said Harry. "Get some rest and come back fresh. We've got more work to do."

Harry didn't break off just as he had ordered the others to break off. He was hold up in his office at work still looking over everything that they had gathered. He had his own version of the board in front of him. Zabini was gone. So far they hadn't found a trace of him. He had vanished just like Pansy had.

The new piece of information he had was an autopsy report. It stated that Delilah Zabini was dead before she was burned. Her windpipe had been crushed and her body had partially been preserved because she had been stored in the closet for a few months before the fire came and consumed the house.

That was the thing that made no sense to Harry. The house had been burned more recently. Judging by the evidence, it had been burned shortly after Pansy had been killed at King's Cross. There was something else going on and Harry knew it. There was no clear evidence that Zabini was the killer other than the circumstantial evidence they had linked Zabini to the crime.

Scorpius was sure of it. The scar was telling it all. Harry knew that better than anyone else. He had to make a decision. He wrote a note and went to the owlery of the offices to send it out. It was time they used the press to their advantage. They had to find their number one suspect quickly and hope that there won't be anymore bodies to add to the count.

The following morning, Scorpius was escorted back to Hogwarts through the Headmistress' office. He was greeted by Professor Longbottom and the Headmistress. Narcissa, Andromeda, and Teddy had accompanied Scorpius through the fireplace. As they were saying their goodbyes, Scorpius's grandmother asked him, "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes," nodded Scorpius. "Things are going to get more back to normal here faster than anywhere else. That's what I want."

Andromeda said, "You be careful and mind the teachers."

"Stay out of trouble, all right? I don't want to get an owl from the Headmistress that you've done something," said Narcissa.

"I'll try, Grandmother," said Scorpius.

Teddy patted his shoulder. "We're working as fast as we can. Things will finish soon. You won't have to wish for normal. It will be normal," he promised.

"Scorpius, you have managed to keep up with your course work over during your extended absence," said Professor McGonagall. "You are going to go to classes as usual. If you need more time, just let us know."

"It's all right. Thank you, Professor," said Scorpius.

Professor Longbottom said, "Well, let's get you back in. There are people waiting to see you. I didn't say you were coming. They're still having breakfast right now."

Scorpius nodded and waved at his family one more time. Narcissa gave him another hug and kiss and so did Andromeda. Teddy gave him another embrace before they went back through the fireplace and they were gone. Scorpius felt a little tug at his heart, but bid a good day to the Headmistress before he and Professor Longbottom left.

"Harry said there's been significant progress," said Professor Longbottom.

Scorpius said, "They can't find him. He's out there." He had seen the newspapers just like everyone else did. He gripped his bag strap tightly. "Teddy said that they needed as many Aurors out there for the manhunt."

"That overshadowed the interview with Skeeter," noted Professor Longbottom. "Although, everyone is still reading it."

"They're watching Skeeter, too," said Scorpius darkly. "I wouldn't wish what happened to me and all the other victims to happen to her. It's not because I even like her or care about her. I just don't want him to claim another victim. There is nothing pleasant about bleeding to death or having a hole blasted through you."

Professor Longbottom nodded. He saw that all this had worn Scorpius down a bit. He was still pushing forward with his life. Any kind of retreat, any kind of restriction, was a victory for Blaise Zabini. "You knew him in school, didn't you, Professor? What was he like?" asked Scorpius.

"He was in Slytherin in the same class as your dad, aunt, uncle, and a slew of others," said Professor Longbottom. "I avoided him as much as possible. There was always something off about him. They say that his father was murdered by his own mother."

"He killed her," said Scorpius quietly. "He strangled her."

Professor Longbottom glanced at Scorpius. "We'll get him. I promise, we'll get him," said the professor. "You're safe here."

Scorpius didn't say anything else. He had a feeling that he wasn't going to be able to sit on the sidelines any longer. "He was there when my aunt, uncle, and cousins were buried. He talked to me. He acted like he was so worried about me. But there was something else. It was in his eyes. Like he was hungry," he said.

"You wanted to come back here because you needed the distraction, didn't you?" asked Professor Longbottom.

Scorpius nodded. He took a deep breath as they turned the corner and he ended up in the Great Hall. He could still see people talking and there were newspapers. Professor Longbottom said, "You can still turn around and come back when there's less people."

Scorpius shook his head. The last time he had gone through this it was after his parents had died. This time he was back in the news again. He slowly walked ahead of Professor Longbottom, who hung back to watch.

There was chattering until it stopped. They all looked up at slowly, almost in unison as Scorpius stared at them back. He bore an almost bored expression. There was some whispering and he could hear it. "Score," called Albus, snapping him out of it. "Come here."

Scorpius turned on his heel and went to the Gryffindor table. Fred had already moved over to make space. "It's good to see you, mate," he said.

The other Gryffindors were staring him at him. Lily gave him a concerned glance and James had almost no expression. "Is it true?" asked Albus. "Did they find a suspect?"

"Yes," nodded Scorpius. "I can't discuss it." He wasn't told not to talk about it, but he simply didn't feel like talking about it.

"Right," said Albus. "Dad wouldn't talk about it either. And neither would Professor Longbottom."

"So anything interesting other than me happen while I was gone?" asked Scorpius.

"Nothing much to report," said Fred with a shrug. "Things are kind of boring without you. And James is strutting around again like he owns the place." He nodded at his cousin.

James exclaimed, "I do not strut."

"Yes, you do," said Albus. The others started giggling and laughing. "Fred wants you to knock James out again so we can get some peace, Score."

"Not feeling up to it. Maybe late," said Scorpius. It was like coming home as everyone started to loosen up a bit. It was great to be back. It was great to get away from what was sure to come at him at any time.

* * *

Author's Note: Finally the killer is revealed and a bunch of people figured it out ahead of time. As I said to one reader, knowing the killer isn't the same as knowing the end of the store. Let's see where this crazy ride will take us. My computer is dying. I ordered a new MacBook Air through my company. It is stuck in China until Lunar New Year is over. Sigh. Anyway, once it comes the updates will be more frequent. If anyone really wants to bother to know the actual status of the story, it's on my twitter a couple of postings back.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	61. Part 61: The Corridor

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Sixty-One: The Corridor

The hours after Scorpius' return to the school, he went to the library with his friends and settled into a chair that he had claimed a long time ago. It was his favorite spot in the library. He went through the school yearbooks again and this time turned it to the page where Zabini's photo was. He could see the cold eyes, dark eyes that were black and soulless. He turned through the section. The photograph that Ron had taken a year ago was there. It said who had taken the photograph. It was Blaise Zabini.

Albus and Fred were carefully watching him. He wasn't saying much about the latest murder nor did he talk about the article that Skeeter had printed. "Um…Score, don't you want to get some rest?" suggested Albus.

"I've been resting for three weeks, almost a month now, Al," said Scorpius. He turned the yearbook to show them the picture that the Aurors had. "This is the picture of all the main victims. They were all in school together at the same time."

"You look like your dad," said Fred. "Not quite, he looks tidier than you."

"Look at who was credited with taking the photo," said Scorpius.

"Oh my God," muttered Albus. "How can someone take pictures of people and then kill them all later?" He shuddered.

Scorpius flipped back to the picture in the yearbook. Because it was a wizarding school's yearbook, the pictures were moving around. He showed them Blaise Zabini. "That's him when he went here. Fifteen years old."

"What is an Inquisitor?" asked Fred. "Skeeter's article mentioned that Draco Malfoy was the Inquisitor."

"It goes back to this time and this year. Did your parents ever tell you about that year?" asked Scorpius. Albus shrugged and Fred shook his head. If they were told, they had either forgotten or weren't listening. "During that year, the DADA professor was planted there from the Ministry of Magic. Her name was Umbridge."

"Now I remember," exclaimed Fred. He heard a shush sound from Madame Pince, so he lowered his volume "She was this horrid toad that made them copy textbooks instead of train them up. Dumbledore's Army was formed that same year. Al's dad taught people how to defend themselves because the Ministry was worried about Dumbledore turning the students into an army against them. Anyway, she's the reason why my dad and my uncle dropped out of school. Not that he had to stick around."

"Yes," said Scorpius. "Umbridge had to form a group of students to keep the other students in line. My dad and all these people in the picture volunteered. They were called the Inquisitorial Squad. My dad said basically they were given the power to bully and enforce their rule on anyone they wanted."

"How does that link up to the Inquisitor?" asked Albus.

Scorpius answered, "It's complicated. Over fifteen years ago, there were still Death Eaters on the loose and other splinter minor groups threatening the peace that your dad brought, Al. Now they were mostly on foreign soil, far away from the jurisdiction of the Aurors, even your dad, Al. Someone started capturing them, and letting the local authorities and Aurors take the credit for it."

"A vigilante just like that Muggle comic book and movies I like," said Al.

"You'll have to show me what you're talking about sometime," said Scorpius with a sigh. "Anyway, no one knew his name. All they had was a title, the Inquisitor. He worked outside of the law. He never took credit. He was my dad."

"Wow," said Fred. "Your dad was cool. I knew your dad was cool, but he was wicked cool. Like a super hero."

"His work was dangerous and he dealt with lots of nutters," said Scorpius. "You should see the warehouse he had in London. It was full of weapons that I have never seen before."

"He has a warehouse?" asked Albus as his eyes lit up.

Scorpius stared at them. "Okay, this has to be genetic because you both are overly excited right now." He directed to Albus, "Your dad is Harry 'The Man Who Saved Wizarding Kind' Potter."

"He's still kind of geek," said Albus with a shrug. "Besides, your own parents are _never_ cool."

"That is so true," said Fred. "I think Uncle Harry is awesome."

"I think Uncle George is great," said Albus.

Scorpius said, "It explained a lot though. My dad was always away. He was gone at least once a week out of every month. He also used to come in with a lot of injuries. Bruise and achy. My mum was always scared and worried when he was gone. She was worried about him coming back in one piece."

"So you think that it was your dad's work that made him a target?" asked Albus. "But why kill everyone if these are the people you want dead?"

"Zabini wanted to make sure they felt the most pain possible," replied Scorpius. "I've seen through his eyes and I've been in his head."

"Score, don't do that on purpose," said Albus.

Scorpius said, "I can't help what I end up seeing, Al. I can't."

Albus said, "By the way, about the interview with Skeeter. That part in the interview where she asked you about girls."

Scorpius rolled his eyes and tipped his head back. "Please don't ask," he pleaded.

"Lily got upset about it," said Albus. "Now, I don't know what's going on between the two of you and I don't think I want to know. And if anything has happened, well…you should tell me. I'm not going to be nuts and try to kill you like James." Fred gave Scorpius a look also; it was the big brother look.

Scorpius knew why Lily was upset. It wasn't the article that upset her. It was the fact that he hadn't really written her back. "Skeeter was fishing for a great line. I wasn't about to give her one," he said.

"That doesn't explain what's going on," said Albus almost angrily.

"If there was anything going on, it still wouldn't be your business, Al," said Scorpius.

Albus said, "It would be. She's my sister."

"No, not really."

Albus glared at him. "Okay, let's not fight," cut in Fred. "We're just glad to have him back, Al." He looked back and forth between the two of them.

"Sorry," said Scorpius, really not wanting to fight with Albus.

Albus decided not to push it. Scorpius had been through enough without having more pressure added to him. The school was buzzing about Scorpius and he had turned a deaf ear to it. He had followed Albus' dad's advice and stuck close to his friends. These were the only people he had to answer to as far as he was concerned. No one else really mattered.

After a while, Scorpius decided that he wanted to get some rest and was getting ready to head back to the dungeons. As he rounded a corner, he saw Lily sitting on the ground, waiting for him. "Hullo," he said to her.

"Hi," said Lily back. She got up and smiled at him.

"I don't think this is a good idea," said Scorpius.

Lily said, "Neither do I, but I wanted to see you. You were gone for a while."

"How did you find me?" asked Scorpius.

"I have my ways," replied Lily.

Scorpius felt awkward. He always felt awkward around her. He handled her the way a Muggle handled a bomb: very carefully and ready to run at the moment's notice of detonation. He didn't know what to do with her. He didn't want to hurt her feelings and he wasn't in any position to even promise any kind of future. Every day that passed that Zabini was out there, was one more day that Scorpius felt like he couldn't live. "Look, I'm sorry that I couldn't write you back," said Scorpius.

"It's all right," said Lily. "You weren't writing anyone back. So you're treating me like everyone else at least."

The words sat on his tongue, weighing his whole body down. "We shouldn't be standing here talking," said Scorpius.

"I promised James I wouldn't go anywhere else," said Lily. She had pouted, almost cried, to get James to show her their granddad's map. He had agreed, but only if she stayed in a place where he could get to her.

Scorpius looked confused. He couldn't help but ask, "How does he know where I am? Come to think of it, Al and Fred can find me sometimes really easily, especially when I want to be alone." He avoided spending too much time in his own dorm.

"Family secret," said Lily. "I'd tell you, but you'd have to be family first." James had all but bullied Albus into saying nothing about the Marauders' Map to Scorpius, even though he really wanted to. Albus agreed, if only to keep his access to the map.

"I see," said Scorpius. He took a seat next to her. For the moment, they were alone in the corridor. It was a stolen moment that Lily relished, even though Scorpius looked ready to run at any moment. "After what happened, I just thought it would be best not to let anyone get too close," he said as he put his hands in his pockets.

Lily gave him a sad smile. "After reading your interview, it made me think that you're so much older than me, not just your age, but in other things. You let everyone else in, but me."

"It's for your own good," said Scorpius. "We've had this conversation before, Lily. My life is too complicated with all kinds of responsibility that I hope you never have to face. You don't have to worry about other people's lives because of you."

Lily said, "It's hard being a kid."

"Don't want to grow up too soon, Lily," said Scorpius as he gave her a hint of a smile that warmed her heart from the inside out.

"But you are a moron," said Lily. "My dad did the same thing to his friends and my mum. He pushed them away to protect them. He didn't understand that he couldn't do it all alone and that they'd rather be with him and have that time than none at all, even if he had died." She sounded more angry than sad.

"I've read up on your dad," said Scorpius. "I did ages ago, even before my dad and mum died. I think he did what he thought was best at time and so should I."

Lily felt her temper rise at this. "Don't tell me what to do, Scorpius Malfoy," she snapped. "If I want to care, then I'll care. You don't get a choice."

Scorpius' eyes widened at this flair of temper. He had been warned by Albus that he was the mildest tempered of his siblings. It wasn't until that moment did Scorpius see just how correct Albus was. He looked a bit confused because clearly he had no idea how to deal with girls. His dad always said that his mum was right, but they shouldn't tell her because she was hard enough to live with just like his grandmother. "Um…I wasn't telling you what to do," he said almost sheepishly. "Heaven forbid I try, Potter."

Lily primly said, "So, I'm Potter again?"

"I mean Lily," corrected Scorpius. "So, I don't get a choice?"

"No. My mum didn't let my dad have a choice. She just let him think he did."

"And you're not giving me that courtesy, too?"

"Not until you've earned it."

"I see."

Lily was like his mum that way. She made the rules and he and his dad had to play by them. The rules could change at her whim in their household. Not that it was a bad thing. His mum had been compassionate, tolerant, patient, intelligent, charming, and beautiful. She kept the family stable, when his dad had a tendency to let things run as they saw naturally fit, which wasn't a good thing when it came to raising a child.

"So, tell me about the woman who died. The one at the train station," said Lily quietly. "Tell me why it hurts you so much."

Scorpius shook his head. "She might have been trying to kill me. But she was the one who saved my life. She told me to run. That she wouldn't let him have me. I think she loved my dad," he told her. "She said I had his eyes. She was look right into my eyes right before he killed her." He didn't tell Lily that he could still remember the smell of the blood in his nostrils.

Lily said, "Love saved you again. Your parents died protecting you, didn't they? That's how you're still around. You wouldn't be here, if it wasn't for that. It wasn't hard to figure out, even before your interview."

"That makes it worse," said Scorpius. "I don't know if I have it in me to do the same thing. I'm not as brave as they were. I'm not as smart as my dad was. He was something special."

"So are you."

"Survivor is just another word for victim."

"You say that, but you're still here. Don't dishonor your parents' memory by calling yourself a victim."

Scorpius stared at Lily for a bit, even though she was a little over two years younger than he was she made a lot of sense. "I just don't see it," he muttered. "People are expecting me to do something grand. Like it's all ordained and destined to be. I've got nothing but horrible luck."

"Don't wish for a grand destiny," said Lily. "My dad never liked it. It made it seem like his parents' deaths were justified somehow."

Someone was coming just around the corner. Lily stood up. "You should get moving. I have to get back before James gets angry," she said as she put on the invisibility cloak. "I have to get this back to Al's trunk before he misses it."

"He's got one of those, too?" asked Scorpius. "I took one from my dad's office. He had it in there, but he wasn't using it. I left it at home, which is probably a good thing because the Aurors searched my trunk. It would be hard to explain why I had one and what I needed for."

Lily smiled just before disappearing, saying, "I don't think it would have been a problem. Where do you think Al got the cloak to start with?"

Scorpius smirked a bit and shook his head. He would have said more, but he recognized the scent of strawberries wafting over him. He felt a kiss against his cheek and then the smell of strawberries grew less intense. That's how he knew she was gone.

"What took you so bloody long?" demanded James as soon as Lily returned to Gryffindor Tower ahead of Albus and Fred, who were still in the library. She handed over the cloak to James. "This is the last time I let you cry and to get your way." He looked at her. She looked rather happy. "Why are you so happy?"

"Nothing," replied Lily.

James rolled his eyes. If Lily had gone to Albus for help, he would have been able to say no to her. Against James, he was at her putty in her hands. It had to do with the fact that she was his little sister, and her striking resemblance to their mother. "I'm not helping you again," said James. "There are so many other boys. Can't you pick a normal one?"

"Who would you call normal?" asked Lily with her hands on her hips.

James replied, "Anyone, but Malfoy." He paused, and then he added, "You and Albus have seriously bad taste."

"Do you think they'll find Blaise Zabini?" asked Lily, ignoring his last jab.

"Dad and Uncle Ron are on it. They'll catch him," replied James. He was confident. He had nothing but confidence when it involved his dad, who he regarded as the greatest wizarding hero ever. "They can't let Zabini run around and kill more people."

Lily asked, "What about Scorpius? Is he safe here?"

"Hogwarts protected Dad for years. With Uncle Neville, the Headmistress, and probably every single staff member, I doubt anyone could get to him in here," said James.

"Why are you being so nice?" asked Lily suspiciously.

"Can't I be nice to my baby sister without you questioning it?" retorted James. He was only being nice because he had nearly made her cry before. "Now I have to put this back before Al finds out we borrowed it. And if he catches me, I'm telling him and making it look like you did it all on your own."

Lily stuck her tongue out at him. "You prat," she said.

"And you are a brat. Now, go keep an eye out and distract him and Fred if they come back," instructed James.

Lily sat down and waited for her other brother and cousin, but they hadn't returned by the time James came back down. He was anything, if not fast. It was what he got from his dad. He came back down and said to Lily, "All right, now that you've checked up on Malfoy, let's not talk about it for a while, okay?"

"Okay," agreed Lily as she smiled.

This was the other reason why James helped her. He was a bit jealous of all of the attention that Scorpius had been getting for being special. It certainly didn't help matters that his siblings liked him a lot. James didn't want to encourage whatever it was that was going on with Lily and Scorpius, but he was almost positive nothing was happening. He was still deciding if he was better off knowing or not.

* * *

Author's Note: A bit short, but not a filler. Although I think that this chapter might be what some readers are looking for. I don't want to give anything away. But there are going to be more to come. This is a light chapter to make up for what's going to happen next.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	62. Part 62: Astronomy Tower

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Sixty-Two: Astronomy Tower

Days passed and there was no trace of Blaise Zabini. He had turned to vapor and no one had seen him since Christmas. Harry ordered the photographs from the speech at the hospital. The pictures were taken in succession. Harry could see that it was Zabini who started the standing ovation at the end of Scorpius' speech. There was something in his eyes. They were cold and hungry. Harry shuddered and wondered why he hadn't seen it before. He had gone to school with a future psychotic serial killer and never noticed, even while he was being pursued by a murderous megalomaniac. Of course, he reasoned that it had to do with his priorities at the time.

The house was processed and the news was running with it. The Aurors were now using the press to get the word out to locate Zabini before another killing happened. There was an undercurrent of fear the likes of which hadn't been seen since the days of Voldemort. Even the reassurance of Harry Potter at the forefront wasn't enough to belay their fears. It was more than just that. They had more information to deal with since they located more evidence in the house.

Harry and Ron found scraps of articles among the wreckage. Not all of them had survived the fire, but it became abundantly clear that the death count had extended beyond the borders of the wizarding world. There was a series of unsolved murders of Muggle women in London. The Muggle media had a glorified article about a new Jack the Ripper. Those murders had been messy, imprecise, and almost impulsive. As near as the Aurors could determine, the death count was about two dozen victims in all. The killings had stopped shortly after the slaying of the Bulstrodes because Zabini had moved onto his wizarding victims. Teddy and Ron had gone to the Muggles to gather the information from them about those murders. It was difficult to pinpoint the very first kill. They didn't know the exact number of victims.

Teddy looked sick from the pictures. He wasn't inured to the sight of blood and had admitted that he had vomited after he had seen the bodies of Draco and Astoria Malfoy, when he identified them at the morgue. "Blimey," he said in a low voice as he looked some of the pictures. "I don't know anything about this Jack the Ripper, but what the Hell was Zabini trying to do? He left them with so many holes."

"Yeah, but as you see, the holes were less as he moved along," observed Ron as he looked at them in order of how the cops had them. "It looks like he was trying to find the best way to kill them, like he was feeling it out."

"He eviscerated them, Ron," said Teddy. He swallowed the bile in his throat. "He practically left them dissected in the streets and back alleys of London. No one deserves that. No one."

Ron's eyes widened as he realized something. "Harry!" he shouted as he ran towards his best mate's office. "Harry!"

"Yes?" asked Harry, nearly jumping out of his skin.

"That's the other link between Malfoy and Zabini. They both went into the Muggle world," said Ron.

Harry asked, "Where were the murders located?"

"Um…we need a map," said Ron.

Harry went through the evidence that they had. It was charred, but he recognized something among the ashes. He said, "The book that every Londoner has is the London A to Zed guide." He took out the picture and threw it on the top of the piles of his desk. "You see that?"

"What? It's a spiral thing?" he asked.

"It's melted a bit, but the smaller edition of the London A to Zed guide comes with a spiral on it," said Harry. "Draco Malfoy had one, too, in his warehouse, but a regular large edition. The spiral one is easier to carry in your pocket. Why didn't I see it before?"

"Because we didn't know he started off murdering Muggles," replied Ron.

"The map…the big one that Malfoy had in his warehouse we need it," said Harry as he got up. He was going to get it himself. After a couple of minutes he returned and put it on the wall. It was a still Muggle map of London. "Malfoy marked it. You can see. Do you remember how he tracked down Greyback? He did it using Muggle newspapers. He was used to dealing with Muggle information after living among them for three years."

Teddy saw what Harry was looking at. "All the bodies of the Muggles were found there. Draco figured it out. He was going to go after Zabini," he whispered.

"Malfoy was over confident. He thought that he wasn't going to get caught, but Zabini is just as clever as he was," said Harry.

"Cleverer, he's the only one left standing, but why go after the others?" asked Ron.

"Because they were all helping Draco one way or another," replied Harry, referring to the profiles of the wizards and witches in the picture of the Inquisitorial Squad. "He wouldn't have come to us to help. We wouldn't have believed it. He was used to working it without any real support."

"He recognized the wounds," said Teddy. "He did because of what you did to him on your sixth year. That's how he knew the killer was a wizard. He was brilliant. Absolutely brilliant."

"That's it. That's the motive," whispered Harry. "We need to find him. I can't bring back Draco Malfoy and the others, but I can give his son peace of mind."

"But Hermione said that Zabini is devolving," Ron reminded him. "What evolved him in the first place? What made him go from Muggles to wizards? And why did he start killing in the first place?"

"Have you see the pictures of the husbands of his mum?" asked Teddy. "Each one of them, including Zabini's father, had died under mysterious circumstances. She had slipped away from society a few years back, but I think it's because they shunned her. They knew what she was doing."

"But the Aurors never got involved, why?" asked Harry.

Teddy shrugged and then provided the answer, "Scorpius explained to me once that while every student must follow a set of rules in the school as a Hogwarts student, the Slytherins have their own code of conduct. Scorpius says that if you don't go along with it, people will shun you and ignore you. They can't drive you out because they know you know about their house secrets. Although, it's got more to do with being purebloods than anything." Harry and Ron stared at him. "My grandmother, my aunt and my cousin are Slytherins. In fact most of my relatives were sorted into the same house."

Seeing the bewildered looks on his superior's faces, Teddy speed up his explanation "Professor Tate was keeping the dorms freezing, but they never complained about it outside of their dorms. Not one complaint was filed against Tate by his own house. Scorpius said that everything that happens in Slytherin is handled in house. They handle their own problems and to Scorpius getting Tate fired was just a problem he had to get rid of. Maybe that's why his father thought it would best for him to handle Zabini himself."

"Come to think of it, Slytherin is probably the most secretive house out of all the houses," said Ron thoughtfully. "I didn't know they had a separate code of conduct."

"Yeah, they do," said Teddy. "I mean it's not the same as Gryffindor at all."

"I wonder if Scorpius can do a house transfer," said Harry. "I saw the memories that his dad had of him. He was in denial for a while that his son wasn't Slytherin material, but between the toy stuff lion and the utterly reckless and fearless behavior in his younger years, even his dad couldn't deny it. Even if he doesn't think he's brave enough to be one, he is a Gryffindor in Slytherin skin."

"He probably did what Sirius Black didn't want to do. He forced himself into Slytherin rather than allow himself to be sorted into Gryffindor properly," said Ron.

"Then we should ask a Slytherin just what we can expect him to do next," said Harry.

Lucius Malfoy wasn't entirely pleased with the recent events that had taken place. He knew that it was a matter of time before the Auror would turn over information to the press. He was currently in a hidden location across the Channel. He was laying low. He knew that his grandson had been deposited back at Hogwarts, which unfortunately complicated his plans. Lucius was a planner just like his son was. Draco was held back by things like compassion and humility. These weren't handicaps for Lucius. He was above all things a pragmatist.

He was in the house that he had used as a vacation home for many years with his wife and son. Draco had loved it because he loved the beach. Narcissa preferred to stay away from the sand as much as possible. She lamented that Draco seemed to carry half the beach in with him every time he came back in. Lucius knew better. When Narcissa wasn't looking, Draco was purposely putting more sand in his shoes and in his things. Lucius thought it was amusing, so he didn't let his wife know what their son had been doing to drive her mad.

He had pictures of his son when he was younger. There were no pictures of his son when he was older or pictures of his own family. There were no pictures of his grandson because the boy had never been to the vacation house. Draco had gone out of his way to make sure that Scorpius wasn't exposed to anything Malfoy for too long.

Lucius was in touch with his lawyers. He had the petition still on the docket. He was getting more and more exhausted from all of this running around. He had aged a hundred years it seemed since his son was so brutally taken from him.

He had paperwork that was sent to him from his lawyers that he had to look at and sign. He had drafted a new copy of his will. He hadn't had changed it for a while, but he had to do it now because he had the time to do it. He put special instructions that the lawyers were not allowed to open it until the time came. In fact, he had to put a magical seal in it to ensure that the right person would open it.

He had gone through several drafts. He also used a memory glass. It wasn't the same as neither a Pensieve nor those mirrors that could magically communicate together. Memory glass was much like those orbs that were used to hold memories, but it was more flat and could record more than just sound. He used it carefully and recorded a message in a single try.

He looked around his vacation house. He had spent the happiest years of his life in this house. He should have insisted on moving the family there after the war. Perhaps, Draco could have forgiven him, if he had had made the effort. The Malfoy pride refused to allow Lucius to bow down to his own child.

Lucius looked out at the ocean. He wondered if Draco had decided to go to Cornwall that day so that he would get his last chance to be on the beach before he died.

Scorpius had settled into Hogwarts again. After each major incident, it got a little easier to go back to normal. He continued his training with Professor Longbottom almost every night. Professor Chang had him for tea weekly and the Headmistress had meetings with him in her office to see his progress. People were still talking about him as he walked by, but it was easier to ignore if he was with his friends.

"OWLs. OWLs. OWLs," muttered Fred. "We're barely through our fourth year and they're already harping about those ruddy OWLs. My dad barely got one or two and he did just fine. You'd think we'd die without them."

"You would depending on what kind of job you want," said Albus.

Scorpius wasn't too worried about the OWLs. He always tested well, even with the smallest amount of preparation. "What if you don't know what you want to do?" he asked. They were sitting outside along the wall. He had the sheet music that Albus and Fred had found during Christmas and was going over it.

"I'm going to be an Auror like my dad," said Albus.

"And I don't have to worry about my OWLs," said Fred grandly. "My dad said it won't matter. I can still work for him and help him out at his shop. But don't tell my mum about it. She's expecting me to get some OWLs."

"Ah, nepotism," said Scorpius wryly. "Then it's all been settled for you."

"My dad expects me, too," said Fred. "I don't mind. I love the shop."

Scorpius looked up at them from the sheet music. "My dad never told me what he wanted me to be when I grew up. He just said do your best and move out of my house and I'll be happy."

"I'm sure he was kidding about that part about you leaving home," said Albus.

Scorpius shrugged, saying, "You didn't know my dad. We had such a row over the cork board wall in my room. My dad didn't want it to go up, but my mum said he had to compromise. He said that as soon as I moved out he'd have a den to put a billiard table in."

"Okay, so you probably were thinking of getting a job," said Fred. "You don't need to. You don't even have to worry about school so much. My dad's pretty lax about it. He said all I needed to learn was maths, Charms, Transfiguration, and Potions and he'd be happy. My mum said I shouldn't settle."

"Then, I shouldn't either," said Scorpius. "I don't know what I want to do for a living, which means that I'll have to score as many OWLs as possible so that when I do figure it out, then I'll be covered."

Albus said, "So, have you tried to play some of that music?"

"Not really," admitted Scorpius. "My mum could take a year or more to produce one album. It takes time to prepare. This was almost at the start of the process. The average album has a dozen pieces in it. At least that's how my mum did it."

"You could go into music. I'm sure you'd get into WADA," said Fred.

Scorpius said, "My mum had stage presence. I'm too nervous to play the violin in front of everyone. The piano is no problem. My dad hardly ever played for an audience in public, so there's no worries about a comparison. Although, he was already loads better than me at this age."

"All this talk about the future sure spoils the present. Let's just worry about tonight, all right?" asked Fred.

"What's going on tonight?" asked Scorpius.

"We still haven't had a proper welcome back for you," said Albus.

Scorpius shook his head. "I'm too tired," he said.

"You're always tired. You don't get enough sleep," pointed out Fred.

"You wouldn't either, if you were me," said Scorpius. He saw the looks on their faces. "Don't worry about me. I'll get some rest tonight. We'll be going to Hogsmeade tomorrow anyway. We'll do something then."

The rest of the day went on as usual. Scorpius took to a seat at the Slytherin table. He ate dinner at his own table, but moved to the Gryffindor table later on. At breakfast, he started and stayed at the Gryffindor table. No one seemed to say much about it anymore. It didn't matter where he went as far as they were concern. The teachers at least knew where he was at all times.

After dinner, he met with Professor Longbottom as usual and afterwards didn't go to the library to meet his friends. Instead, he climbed up the astronomy tower. It had fast become his favorite place for some alone time in the vast castle, far away from the whispers and murmurs that constantly accompanied him these days.

People tended to only come to the tower with other people. They thought it was a bit creepy. Scorpius looked at the constellations in the sky. His dad taught him early on about the stars in the sky. He told Scorpius that it was like a map of the family because everyone was named after the stars in the heavens.

Each one of the stars was twinkling above him. He could see the one that his father was named after. It was shining and bright. Scorpius stared at it for a while. He knew each of the constellations. He always liked astronomy.

He sat along the edge. It was so high up. He wondered what would happen if he let his body drop. Oddly enough, he felt safe. He wasn't afraid of heights. He had asked Professor Longbottom the extent of the protective shield.

Professor Longbottom said he didn't know how far the shield extended, and he certainly didn't recommend Scorpius testing it. "Are you thinking of doing something stupid?" asked a voice that almost made him jump off the ledge.

Scorpius gasped and saw that there was someone standing at the door way. "Naomi?" he asked, making out her silhouette.

"I was going to do some work on my astronomy homework," she said. "I didn't know anyone would be up here right now."

Naomi Wellington was one of the few people outside of Gryffindor who was nice to Scorpius and didn't give him wide berth like the other students. Her mum probably told her to be nice to him. "What do you need help on?" he asked.

"The positioning depending on the time of night and geography," said Naomi. "Such a pointless thing to learn, Muggles use computers that can figure that out. You just punch it in and you can find out through a search engine."

"But what happens if you don't have a computer or electricity?" asked Scorpius. "Astronomy is the only class, other than Potions, where we don't use magic to do it. And it's something that even Muggles know how to do."

"I wish I were at home right now," said Naomi.

"Because your dad is away and he might contact you," said Scorpius.

Naomi nodded. "His job is so unfair. It takes him away all the time. He's a soldier with the Royal Army."

"My dad did the same thing, too," said Scorpius. "He went away for weeks at time."

"But you saw him when he came back more often," said Naomi. Then she paused, and then relented, "I'm sorry. I really shouldn't be complaining about my dad being away. He'll come back. He always does. Yours isn't coming back. I'm sorry."

Scorpius' dad used to promise that all the time. He always came back until he was taken away. Scorpius ran his hand along his side again. "Do you need some help with your home work?" he offered. "I'm pretty good with Astronomy."

"Yes, please," agreed Naomi.

Albus and Fred were looking everywhere for Scorpius at this point. Because he was worried a lot about his best friend, Albus did something he normally didn't do. He was used to Scorpius needing to be alone from time to time. He drew out the map, which he had nicked from his brother, when they got to their usual spot in the library which was near Scorpius' favorite spot. "Are you using the map to find him?" asked Fred. "He probably is just meeting with Professor Longbottom."

"He's not," said Albus. "He's in the Astronomy Tower with Naomi."

Fred raised his eyebrows at that. "Really?" he asked. Albus' jaw tightened. Fred said, "Any idea why?"

"I don't know!" exclaimed Albus.

His voice was louder than expected and several students turned their heads to look. Madame Pince made a hushing noise from the circulation desk. Fred said, "I'm sure that nothing is happening. He's not interested in her. He's interested in…" He trailed off. Either way, Albus wasn't going to be happy.

Albus glared at Fred, who quickly looked down at his Transfiguration homework. Never had it looked so interesting to him. It wasn't typical for Albus to lose his temper. But he was like his dad, when he blew up, he blew up. Fred didn't say anything, but it didn't make him feel any easier to see Albus watching the dots with his best mate's name and his crush's name in such close proximity in a deserted place.

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, I must admit that I've taken some inspiration from British crime dramas. And yes, for the American readers, Z is said as Zed across the pond. Incidentally, I do own a copy of the _London A to Z Guide_ that's the same type as Zabini's. It's hard balancing the usual school stuff with the very serious stuff. It's all part of the set up.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	63. Part 63: In the Woods

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Sixty-Three: In the Woods

Scorpius woke up a bit later than expected the next day and hurried downstairs to join his friends for breakfast. He was met just before coming in by Fred, who looked actually worried. It didn't sit well with Scorpius because Fred was usually the most carefree of them. "Mate, what were you doing last night?" he asked.

"Why?" asked Scorpius, disliking the tone that Fred was using.

"You weren't resting, were you?" asked Fred.

Scorpius replied, "Okay, I was in the Astronomy Tower, stargazing."

"Alone?"

"Why?"

"Stop answering my questions with questions, Scorpius. I'm trying to save your arse. Were you there with Naomi Wellington last night?"

Scorpius stared at Fred, and asked, "How did you know that?"

Fred waved his hand dismissively. "Don't ask anymore questions. Al knows and he isn't happy. He's royally pissed. Nothing happened, right?"

"She was studying for her Astronomy class. I offered to help. Is that something?"

Fred rolled his eyes. Leave it to Scorpius to completely ignore the fact that he had asked him already twice not to ask anymore questions. "And nothing happened?"

"What do you mean by that?" replied Scorpius as he rolled his eyes, too. "Why does everyone think they have a right to know my business?"

"Are you completely mental?" asked Fred. "Al's let his imagination run off with him. He thinks you're going after the girl he fancies."

"If he fancies her, why doesn't he just let her know?" asked Scorpius.

Fred smacked his forehead, if only to stop himself from smacking it against the wall next to them. "You are utterly clueless. You have all the attention already. All the girls are fawning over you, even his own sister."

Scorpius looked more bewildered by that. He got a lot of stares and he had learned to ignore them, but he couldn't tell the difference between fawning and staring. "No, nothing happened," he said after a moment.

"That delay isn't reassuring!" exclaimed Fred. "What is wrong with you?" He took a deep breath. "How can someone so brilliant be so stupid?"

"Al is reasonable and logical," said Scorpius firmly. "I'll just tell me what happened and he'll see that nothing happened."

"No, don't," said Fred. "He'll think you're lying."

Scorpius was frustrated at this point and rubbed the space between his eyes. "But you just said he's mad. Wouldn't it make him less mad if I just tell him? Besides, how did you find out? How do people know where to find me around here?"

"Let Albus cool off," advised Fred. "Look, we've got Rose coming along with us, so she should serve as a buffer. In fact, we should invite more people. The more distractions for him, the less likely he'll blow up."

"I think you're the one who's blowing this way out of portion," muttered Scorpius.

Fred sighed, "You might be used to living dangerously, Score, but I'd rather not deal with Albus when he's like this."

Scorpius shrugged and they continued onto the Great Hall. Scorpius took his usual seat next to Albus, who he could immediately detect some hostility emitting from him. Scorpius could detect the distinct chill in the air. Fred couldn't take the tension and filled the silence with mindless chatter, which his sister was more than happy to aide him in.

"You're going to get me something, right, Fred?" asked Roxanne.

Fred answered, "Well, I don't know. Maybe. What do you want?"

"Something from the family shop," answered Roxanne. "Surprise me."

"The last time you said that I ended up getting you an acid lollipop. That was a fun trip to St. Mungo's Casualty," said Fred fondly.

Roxanne scowled. "Use your best judgment," she said, but she decided better after seeing that fiendish gleam in his eye. "On second thought, ask Rose."

Rose could see that there was something going on between Albus and Scorpius. "So, are you sure you want to go out, Malfoy? Is it okay for you to go?" she asked.

"No one said I couldn't," replied Scorpius. "The news hasn't said anything about any leads on Zabini. I was thinking of staying here anyway."

"Come along anyway," said Fred.

"I think I'll stay here and practice my violin," said Scorpius.

Albus finally said, "Yeah, why don't you do that?"

Scorpius couldn't let go of detecting the anger in Albus' voice. "Do you have a problem, Al?" he drawled in classic Malfoy style.

Fred vigorously shook his head. Louis and James were having a conversation of their own, but stopped when Albus spoke. "I am sick and tired of you constantly tagging along and getting all the attention."

"You invited me," Scorpius coolly reminded him.

"I wish I hadn't," muttered Albus.

Rose made an attempt at playing peacekeeper, saying, "Let's not say things we don't mean." She looked at Albus directly when she issued that warning.

"By all means, tell me what you mean," goaded Scorpius.

"You are an arrogant, conceited, self-involved prat!" declared Albus. "People are only nice to you because they feel sorry for you!"

The first part, Scorpius could have let go. It was that last bit that stung horribly. His face only slipped for a split second, only Lily noticed. It had been a while since Scorpiushad to deal with someone taunting him to his face, except for James. He had two choices. He could have walked away and let Albus calm down or throw more fuel on the fire.

Scorpius stood up so abruptly that it started the whole table. He wasn't shaking, but his scar was on fire. He kept his hand at his side, refusing to let Albus see that he was getting to him. "You're the one who can't even talk to the girl you like. Stop blaming me for it."

Now Scorpius wasn't talking as loudly as Albus was, but the entire Gryffindor table sat transfixed on every word he had said. Albus got to his feet at this point. The boys were almost even in height, but Scorpius was still taller than Albus. In fact, the other tables, including the faculty table, could hear Scorpius just fine. Realizing this, Scorpiusturned red. Professor Longbottom and Professor Chang looked surprised.

"Stop it. Both of you, please," Lily cut through, looking back and forth between them.

Albus ignored her. "It's bad enough that I've got to share my dad with you. I've got to share my godfather, too. And my friends, you wouldn't have any if it wasn't for me. You're pathetic."

Scorpius' dad and godfather were dead. That was a low blow. "Go to Hell, Potter," seethed Scorpius as he quite the table and started to stalk off.

"Go ahead and retreat! That's what you're good at!" shouted Albus after him as he dropped down on the bench.

Rose gave Albus a severe, disapproving glare, "Now that was pathetic, Albus."

Professor Chang said to Professor Longbottom, "You sit this one out. I'll talk to him, Neville."

Neville was going to object, but seeing Albus' downcast face, made him nodd. "Teenagers. You gotta love them," he muttered after a second.

"Do we have to?" asked Cho wryly.

Neville shrugged. He had seen more than one blow up between Harry and Ron. He had never heard Harry wishing for Ron to go to Hell. He didn't know what to make of the situation. Although, he had to appreciate the fact that Scorpius was still able to have a row over something that seemed very common place.

"Wow, I've been waiting for you to get rid of Malfoy," said James. "But that was really harsh, Al."

"Shut it, James," said Albus. He had seen the look on Naomi Wellington's face when he had said that last part to Scorpius. She looked not only shocked, but appalled. He had made a complete arse of himself.

Scorpius had to get out of the castle his scar was searing. He didn't really want the shield to mistake a row with Albus with him being in danger. The last thing he wanted to do was knock out another Potter, even if deserved it more than his brother did. "Stupid Albus," he muttered under his breath. It was starting to snow outside. Albus was right. If it weren't for him, he'd have no friends at all. One row made it abundantly clear who'd get left in the cold. Scorpius had no one on his side.

"Scorpius, are you okay?" asked Professor Chang.

"Peachy, Professor," said Scorpius tersely.

"I know that you probably wanted to cool off, but you're going to make yourself ill," said Professor Chang.

The faculty of Hogwarts was something of a makeshift family of Scorpius. Professor Longbottom and Professor Chang were like the parents. Professor McGonagall was the grandmother. Professor Larkin was the mad uncle. Professor Chang offered him a mug of still warm hot cocoa along with a kind smile. Scorpius took it to warm his fingers.

"Albus is a pig headed prat who has everything and can't appreciate it," said Scorpius. "I should have said that. I just couldn't. He's right. Running away from a fight is all I'm good at."

"Did I ever tell you that Harry Potter had an enormous crush on me?" asked Professor Chang.

Scorpius asked, "Really?"

Professor Chang nodded. She leaned against the wall next to him. "But I was with someone else. A great bloke, but he was taken away. I wasn't in a good state when I agreed to go out with Harry, but I don't think it would have worked out between us. I'm much happier with my husband, even if he's away all the time. He's my soldier. I like getting away from the wizarding world, leaving it all behind. This place has some difficult memories for me."

"My dad lived in the Muggle world for three years," said Scorpius. "I didn't know that either. He went there after the war, between getting engaged to my mum and coming back to marry her. She made him promise to come back. I don't think he would have come back if she hadn't made him promise to. I think he liked the Muggles. They didn't judge him or were prejudice against him because of his past and his family name. I'd like to do that, too. Just disappear where no one knows me."

Professor Chang listened to him. "You know you won't get far in the Muggle world. I'll find you," she said to him with a smile. "Now, tell me what you two were fighting about."

"Something stupid," said Scorpius as he took a sip of the hot cocoa.

"Was it over a girl?" asked Professor Chang, seeing that look in his eyes. "I know you like his sister."

Scorpius felt his ears turn red. "Not her. But we did fight about her, too, but not as bad."

"You don't have to tell me," said Professor Chang gently. "I know it must have hurt to hear him say that. You will have to forgive him, even if he's too embarrass to apologize. You can't lose your best friend over something as frivolous as a girl."

"I don't know, Professor. It depends on the girl," said Scorpius. There was something comforting about this moment, talking to the professor, with her reasonable tone and the hot cocoa. She reminded Scorpius of his mum with her gentle cajoling and logic. Were all Ravenclaw girls like this?

"I want you to know that you aren't alone and what he said isn't true," said Professor Chang. "Look at how far you've gotten, Scorpius. You were so closed off when I first had you as a student. You couldn't even make eye contact with me. You more than anyone should know how precious it is to have a second chance."

"Maybe I should have stayed at Black Manor," said Scorpius.

"Mum, what are you doing here?" asked Naomi as she came up to them. In her hand, she had a napkin with some toast. "Lily and Fred wanted you to have something to eat. They noticed that you left without eating anything, Scorpius."

"We're just having a chat, Naomi," replied Professor Chang.

"You'd better go," said Scorpius to Naomi. "Why'd they send you anyway?"

"I volunteered after Professor Longbottom took Albus to his office," replied Naomi. "He said that Albus was lucky that he hadn't really set you off."

"Thanks," said Scorpius, accepting the toast. It was buttered with just a bit of marmalade just the way he liked it. It must have been Lily who had done it.

"I'm not jealous to share my mum with you," said Naomi. "You know how it's like having a Ravenclaw mum. They need projects in order to keep busy. The busier you keep her, the more she'll stay out of my hair."

"They're the best," said Scorpius.

"Your mum was a few years behind me," said Professor Chang. "She wasn't just beautiful. She was brilliant. You could use more of that Ravenclaw in your studies." She saw Scorpius looking intently at the toast. "She loved to read. She was always reading. Her favorite books were Muggle books by Bronte and Austen. I think she thought her white knight would be tall, dark and handsome. She wasn't completely off, just in the coloring."

Scorpius thought about it a bit. "Professor Chang, is there a way you can demonstrate a Muggle device for me?" he asked.

"In the interest of furthering your education, I don't see why not. What would you like to do?" asked the Muggle Studies professor.

"How do Muggles communicate long distances in real time?" asked Scorpius. Then he glanced at Naomi. "But I don't have anyone to communicate with in the Muggleworld, so we'll need someone you know."

Professor Chang understood as her daughter's eyes lit up. "Yes, we'll show you. Naomi, let's contact Dad."

"Yes!" exclaimed Naomi happily.

Rita Skeeter had a false sense of security. The Aurors were on guard, keeping watch over her. She was doing more research on Blaise Zabini in the meantime. The papers were churning out more and more news about him and his past. His mother's crimes were no longer buried. For years, people thought that Mrs. Zabini was just an unfortunate woman. How many unfortunate women marry a new husband with increasing wealthy every time?

There was the other part of the equation. The midst of all of the activity, people had forgotten about Lucius Malfoy who had all but disappeared since he was last seen at the Aurors Headquarters after the murder of Pansy Parkinson. His lawyers were still filing motions to take custody of Scorpius from his grandmother.

The most interesting news was that Malfoy Manor had gone from being seen to unseen. It house had been magically shifted. It had vanished. There was now a Secret Keeper, which was mystifying because there was no one after Lucius.

Skeeter covered all the angles as she always did. In her home, which was now under surveillance, she was trying to connect the dots. Zabini's whereabouts or lack there of was troubling. She had to be fast.

Then, on Saturday morning, she awoke to find someone in her house. He was sitting at her dining room table, having helped himself to a pot of tea. It was surprising because she didn't think he could make his own pot of tea. Yet, there he was sitting there waiting for her to come.

"Lucius Malfoy," she said as she came in. Her hair was skewed and her glasses were foggy. The room was cold. The fireplace was dark.

"Rita Skeeter," said the old snake. He tapped his walking stick on the tile. "You have very provincial tastes." He said this, taking in the décor. "Not at all what I would have expected."

"You'll have to forgive me, but I didn't know I was getting an exclusive."

"You think that you're safe?" asked Lucius as he put his tea cup down on the saucer.

Skeeter's eyes widened. "What are you going to do?" she asked in a soft voice. "He attacked you in the hospital. He could have killed you, but he didn't. He wants Scorpius. Do you honestly think that doing anything to me will help you?"

"Of course," said Lucius. "I was trying to draw him out. He disappeared after I burned down his house. I simply cannot have it at that."

Skeeter went from being glib to frightened when she saw that hooded gaze. She now remembered that Lucius was a Death Eater, and one of the best. He was a man capable of more than just murder and torture. "So it was him?" managed Skeeter, inching away. "He really killed all those people…your son."

"He took someone precious from me," said Lucius. "I intend to take something precious from him. But I need my grandson. I cannot finish what I have to do without him."

"What do you want me to do about it?" asked Skeeter in a trembling voice. She thought of calling out for the Aurors, but she doubt that they could come in time. Zabini was deadly, but so was Lucius.

Lucius got to his feet. "I want you to die," he said. He drew out his wand.

None of the Aurors out guarding the premise heard Skeeter scream nor did they see the flash of green light. All was quiet on the street. Snow fell steadily on the ground.

Zabini was a man on the run. He wasn't too far away from where his quarry was. He was a man obsessed. The brat was still alive. He couldn't run as long as the brat was still alive. He had to find a way to lure the brat out and draw him near. He had one more wand to collect and he aimed to collect it.

For years, Zabini had lived with silent rage. He appeared just as accomplished as any one of his peers, his mother's pride and joy. Would she be proud of him now? Would was she proud of him when he crushed her throat?

Zabini had spent years as a Slytherin dabbling in the dark arts. They drew him in and intrigued him. He learned how to use the spell that Severus Snape had created years ago to puncture holes into victims. He had started in the woods of the school, perfecting his craft. He used it to hunt the animals, leaving the carcasses to rot just like he had done with the Muggles.

The problem with animals was that while they made the noises of pain, their eyes were still dumb. He wanted to know what it was like to kill a person. Simple, morbid curiosity drew him out into the Muggle world. He wasn't like Draco Malfoy, who threw away being a wizard as a self imposed punishment. No, Zabini had a need, a compulsion that he didn't understand, yet he embraced it.

Killing Muggles was great fun for him. It allowed him to put up with his mother and her simpering, asinine demands for years and years. It was a release. He took out his rage on the nameless Muggles he had left butchered in the streets of London.

He knew the woods well, just as he knew the streets of London. He had the letters that Pansy had left behind, the ones that Scorpius had written to her about his insipid, childish problems. He could see the turrets and towers of the castle. He hadn't been there in years. He wondered what kind of security the Aurors and the school administrators had put in place. No doubt they were in place to keep Scorpius safe. He was close enough to the school grounds without alerting the security wards of his presences. Draco wasn't the only one who had mastered breaking and entering into places meant to keep him out.

Zabini drew out a piece of parchment; it was the same kind that Scorpius had used. He had carefully analyzed the writing style of Scorpius Malfoy. The way he wrote the letters and his use of language. Using a quill and his wand, he deftly crafted a letter, drawing the words that were written by Scorpius' hand. All the words he needed were there, including names. He then used a potion and used drops of it onto the parchment, letting it sink in like blood in cloth.

If there was one thing that Zabini learned as a child and a teenager, if you want to attract the right quarry, one needed the right lure.

* * *

Author's Note: Bet no one saw that part coming with Skeeter. Come on, you can tell me. Two killers in one chapter with some light hearted sweet stuff and a row. Scorpiusis dense at times and avoids conflict at all costs.

As for the terms used, it's based on a bit of British detective shows and US procedurals. The term evolving is used for when a serial killer advances in his techniques. The term devolving is when the killer starts breaking down and isn't following what he has set up prior, thus getting closer to capture. These terms were used in two terms were used as most people have figured out from Criminal Minds.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	64. Part 64: Back to the Infirmary

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Sixty-Four: Back to the Infirmary

"I can't believe how stupid Al is," muttered Lily. "He got mad over Naomi Wellington." She was slumped on her bed as Roxanne sat next to her. "And why did he have to go and say all those horrible things to him like that?"

"I give you kudos for sticking with family," said Roxanne. "But you're right. That was pretty nasty of Al to do that to Scorpius. I'm sure nothing happened. Aren't you worried about him being alone with her in the Astronomy Tower at night?"

Lily sat up at this. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Of course not," she said immediately. "If he said nothing happened, then nothing happened."

"But he didn't say that," said Roxanne.

Lily bit her lip. "I'm sure nothing happened," she said after a moment. "Al has even less of a right to be a jealous prat. I've got proper grounds."

Roxanne said, "You do have proper grounds. I suppose. I mean does one kiss really give you proper grounds."

"Two," corrected Lily with a blush.

Roxanne's eyebrows shot up. "Two? When? How?"

"Last summer before we had to head back to school, do you remember that party he had at his house?" asked Lily. "Why do you think James started acting like an idiot around that time?"

"He didn't catch you, did he?" gasped Roxanne with widening eyes.

"No, not exactly," replied Lily. "I was really upset. Scorpius was kind of ignoring me. And he went to pull my hair behind my ears." She did the action. The light caught one of her hair clips, the ones that Scorpius had given her. "He leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. I turned and kissed him."

"You seriously need to get that boy to kiss you himself, not you kissing him," pointed out Roxanne.

The girls were interrupted by a tapping sound from the window. It was an owl, but it wasn't a school owl. Nor was it a familiar owl to Lily and Roxanne. Its eyes were eerily glowing red like rubies. Lily and Roxanne were startled by it. They had no idea that the poor creature was under a spell and its eyes were being used to watch them.

Lily saw her name in Scorpius' handwriting. She recognized it because she had saved the card that came with her birthday present along with the envelope it came in. She took the letter from the strange owl and opened it. She announced, "It's from Scorpius." As she said this, the owl flew off.

"What does he say?" asked Roxanne.

Lily read the letter. He said not to tell anyone about it. So Lily lied, "He's okay. He's just waiting for Al to see reason."

Roxanne knew Lily too well to buy that. "What is he really saying?" she pressed.

"It's private," said Lily as she folded up the letter and slipped back into its envelope. "Please don't make me tell you."

Roxanne could have gotten it out of her very easily, but she didn't. Lily was going to side with Albus publicly, but that didn't mean she couldn't side with Scorpius privately. Lily had forgotten the age gap. It wasn't fair that Scorpius was out in the cold because Albus was mad at him.

"I'm going to need your help," said Lily. "I'm going to meet with him, but I need you to distract James and Albus."

"They'll both go mental, if they figure out you've gone to meet with him," said Roxanne.

"It won't be that long," said Lily. "They've got the map."

"Does Scorpius know about the map?" asked Roxanne.

"No, he doesn't James made Al and Fred keep it a secret, me, too. And I didn't tell him either," replied Lily.

"James and Al are in the village right now," said Roxanne. "Let's nick it before they get back."

The dorms were nearly deserted. Most of their family went to Hogsmeade or were in a big snowball fight in the front courtyard. They tried Al's drom first. "This place reeks of boy stench," declared Roxanne as she pinched her nose for effect.

Lily was used to it because she had two older brothers. She went to Al's trunk and searched, and then to his desk. "It's not here. James must have it," she said.

"Too bad your granddad didn't have a third thing to leave your dad for you," said Roxanne. She thought it was a bit unfair that the boys had the cloak and the map between the two of them. Lily didn't get anything.

"I got my grandmother's name," said Lily with a shrug.

"Possibly her brains," said Roxanne.

The girls moved onto James' dorm, which was even less tidy than Al's. The house elves had the weekend off, so it was left in such a state. "They aren't paying the elves enough for this. They deserve hazard pay," said Roxanne as she sidestepped a pair of knickers.

James wasn't as neat as Albus, but like Albus, he would be able to tell if someone had rooted through his things. Lily was an expert at going through her brothers' things. She even used one of her hair clips to pick the lock in his hidden compartment in his trunk.

"Got it," said Lily.

"Good, let's get out of here before the mold starts to grow on our slippers," said Roxanne.

At the same time as Lily and Roxanne were up to mischief in Gryffindor Tower, Scorpius had taken refuge at the nearly deserted library. He was sitting in his favorite chair, which incidentally was his mum and dad's favorite chair when they were students at the school as well. Books had kept him company for years just like they had done with his mum. He was reading books that Teddy had sent him.

Unfortunately, Scorpius couldn't concentrate. His scar was on fire. There was no comfortable position for him to ease the pain. He knew it was because Zabini was up to something. Scorpius had reckoned on the day his parents died, it was Zabini who hurled the first hex. It was the curse that left Scorpius' skin marred and broken. And as much as he didn't want to accept it, it was Pansy who had delivered the fatal blows to his parents.

Scorpius' eyes couldn't focus. Something weird was going on with his eyes. His head was foggy. Then his vision went hazy, then sharp, and finally clear. However, it was monochromatic. He saw Lily's face in black and white. She looked a bit started, but then she smiled and something flashed by. Scorpius shut his eyes and grounded the heels of his palms into his sockets.

He got up and staggered for the door. He wasn't about to go run for help, but he wasn't feeling well either. So, he slowly made his way to the infirmary. Madame Pomfrey saw him and immediately took him to one of the cots. "Dearie, look at you. You look so flushed," she said.

"My head hurts," said Scorpius.

"Have a lay down. I'll get you some potions," said Madame Pomfrey. "Do you want me to get Professor Longbottom or Professor Chang?"

Scorpius shook his head, "No. I just need to lay down for a bit. It hasn't been a good day."

"All right, but let me know if you want to see them," said Madame Pomfrey. She had seen Scorpius on one of the worst days of his life. She couldn't help but pity him. To her, he had been through so much and whatever comfort she could give him was the best she could do.

Scorpius slipped off his shoes and climbed into the cot. He waited for her to come back with a potion for the pain. He also asked, "Do you have any dreamless draught? I need to get some sleep."

"When was the last time you had any?" asked Madame Pomfrey. She could tell that he hadn't gotten any sleep.

"Not since before Christmas," said Scorpius, remembering his short stay at the hospital after his scar had started bleeding again. Healer Thomas had prescribed the draught when he noticed just how little sleep Scorpius was getting. Even then Scorpius had refused to take it the first night.

"I'll bring you some," said Madame Pomfrey. She returned back with the familiar bottle and gave him half a dose.

Scorpius fell asleep right away, grateful for some peace if only for a little while.

Several hours passed as the students started to stream in from the cold. Madame Pomfrey let Scorpius sleep because he truly needed it. She had sent word to Professor Longbottom that Scorpius wasn't feeling well. Fred got worried and went to ask Professor Longbottom when he returned from Hogsmeade.

"Where is he?" he asked.

"At the infirmary," replied the Head of Gryffindor. "He's sleeping right now. He's been sleep deprived for a while, but he can't."

"He has night terrors," said Fred. "I think they're worse than ever since the train station."

"He should be fine after he gets some sleep," said Professor Longbottom.

Fred said, "I won't tell anyone. Scorpius doesn't like people feeling sorry for him."

"You're in a hard position," said Professor Longbottom sympathetically.

"Al's not going to say he's sorry and neither is Score," said Fred. "It's eventually go away. They're both stubborn gits. It might take a while."

Fred returned to the table. He sat down in the spot that Scorpius had normally occupied. Albus' raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. "Aren't you going to ask where he is?" challenged Fred.

"I don't care," muttered Albus sullenly.

"Great fun you were today at Hogsmeade. You should have stayed at the castle and Scorpius should have come instead," said Fred irritably.

Albus' jaw dropped, and then he recovered almost instantaneously. "You're taking his side? We're family!" he exclaimed.

Fred retorted, "You're acting like him." He jerked his thumb in James' general direction. Everyone knew who Fred was referring to.

"Oi!" exclaimed James.

Albus said, "I am not."

Lily didn't say anything, but she had her lips pressed together. The last thing she needed to do was get into an argument with Albus and James. They would just be paying closer attention to her. Lily did agree with Fred. Roxanne said, "So where is he?"

"Probably back at the Slytherin dorms," said Fred. He was a much better liar than Albus. "Professor Longbottom said he had to get some sleep. He barely gets five or six hours a night, probably much less than that." It wasn't a complete lie.

Lily wasn't worried because she was going to see Scorpius later. The map was currently in Roxanne's possession in her trunk. Lily was going to change after dinner.

Dinner proceeded as usual. However, an owl came to Professor Longbottom that made him leave the table early. This prompted him to pay a visit with Scorpius at the infirmary. Madame Pomfrey reported that Scorpius had come in complaining of a headache and asked for something for the pain and to put him to sleep. He had been there all afternoon. Professor Longbottom wanted to wake Scorpius up, but the formidable nurse wouldn't allow it. "Let me know as soon as he's awake," said the professor.

"Yes," nodded Madame Pomfrey.

Neville went to his office and turned on the fireplace. He was immediately patched through to Harry. "Harry, is she really dead?"

"Yes," nodded Harry. "We had to go in after she didn't check in."

"Scorpius is in the infirmary," reported Neville, seeing the alarm in Harry's face, only made him talk faster. "He's had a rough day. He and Albus got into a fight. After that, he had a headache and asked for some dreamless draught. He's still out."

Harry asked with a frown, "They got into a fight? Over what?"

"Who," corrected Neville with a slight hint of a smile. He gave a summary of the row and his conversation with Albus afterwards. "Al said he just got mad and jealous. I had to remind him of everything he has that Scorpius doesn't have. I haven't had a chance to talk to Scorpius yet. Cho said he was fine when he left her and Naomi, but still sore at Al. He told her that he wasn't going to apologize for doing nothing wrong."

"I don't know whether or not I should be glad that he has some commonplace problems," said Harry. "I can't say I blame Al for getting upset."

Neville pressed his lips together because he wondered just how much Harry really noticed that his own daughter liked Scorpius. "I'm pretty sure Scorpius is not interested in Naomi," he said. "He just has to make it clear to Al."

"We're trying to pinpoint the time of Rita Skeeter's death," said Harry with a sigh, switching back to the original topic of the call. "The whole thing is off."

"How?"

"No blood in the scene at all. Not a drop. It looked like she just dropped dead. The autopsy shows no signs of trauma. She just died," said Harry as he rubbed his forehead. His fingers went over the famous scar.

"You know exactly which spell was used, Harry," said Neville grimly.

"Yes," sighed Harry. He was all too familiar with it.

"I'll ask Scorpius as soon as he's up," said Neville. He shook his head. "I saw some horrific things when I was growing up. It made me forgetful, but it was a way to preserve my sanity until I was strong enough to handle it."

Harry said, "I can't remember seeing anything, but I remember the voices. Scorpius can remember everything. We need to finish this, if we don't I don't know how much more he can take."

Neville said, "He's stronger than he or anyone else realizes. Have some faith, Harry."

They discussed the other parts of the case. The press release about Rita Skeeter was going to be released because there was no way to keep it under lock and key. They had to figure out how to minimize as much of the damage as possible.

Albus returned to the common room after dinner, while Fred set off with the rest of the Quidditch pitch for practice because the snow had let up. It was great time to get out there.

Normally, Albus would have hung out with Scorpius but shame, anger, and sheer stubbornness kept him where he was. Fred had dropped by to see Scorpius, only to have Madame Pomfrey tell him to shove off. Rumors began to swirl around the school that Scorpius had taken ill. It hadn't gotten around to Albus yet.

Lily and Roxanne went towards the library, but Lily split up and made her way elsewhere. "Good luck," said Roxanne.

"Thanks," whispered Lily.

Lily had changed after dinner and put on her red peacoat. She put on her hairclips after redoing her hair in a more elaborate style. She wished she had her wardrobe at home, but she put on her best jeans and top. Lily couldn't make her freckles disappear, but one couldn't have anything.

She went off to go outside. She pulled her coat closer to her body as she walked onward. The snow was starting to fall again. The owlery wasn't that far. She had the letter in her pocket. It said that she had to keep it with her. She could smell something coming from it. It smelled spicy like ginger and citrus as well.

She saw the light from the owlery. Then she felt a strange sensation like something was pulling at her. She had her wand in her pocket so she used it to light her way. She wasn't close to the owlry, but there was a figure along the edge of the Forbidden Forest. She had never ventured in there. She wasn't as daring as James was.

The light was alluring and it drew Lily like a moth. Maybe it was a unicorn. Lily liked unicorns. "Lily," called a voice. It was like a sigh.

A trick was being played on Lily's ears. "Scorpius?" she called.

"Not so loud," said voice. "Come closer."

Lily followed the voice. She was able to cross the protective barrier because it wasn't built to keep her in. The closer she got, the stronger the pull. It wasn't until she got close enough to see where the light came from. She recognized the person. She had seen his face plastered all over the papers for days. She froze.

"My, my, my. You are a pretty little thing, aren't you?" said the voice amusingly. Lily drew her wand immediately. "_Expelliarmus._ No, you won't be using your daddy's tricks around here." Lily was going to scream, but she couldn't. She felt a spell come over her. "I think this is kinder than knocking you out. Besides, I don't want to carry around a body."

Scorpius was in the infirmary. He felt his scar burn. He sat up as if he was waking up from a dream. He woke with a start. He saw that the sun was down and it was dark outside. "He's here," he whispered. He pulled himself together and got out of the cot. He put his trainers back on and bolted out of the infirmary so fast that Madame Pomfrey couldn't stop him.

Scorpius didn't care that people were staring at him and that Mrs. Norris let out a shriek as he ran pass. Mr. Filch was hot on his heels, but he couldn't catch him. Professor Longbottom was grading some papers after he got off the fireplace with Harry. He looked up and was startled to Scorpius. "Professor Longbottom," he said, almost out of breath.

"That's it, Malfoy! You're going to get detention!" wheezed Mr. Filch right behind him.

"Please leave us alone, Mr. Filch. I'll handle this," instructed Professor Longbottom. "Come inside, close the door behind you, Scorpius."

Scorpius practically shut the door on Mr. Filch's face. He didn't sit down. "He's here. He's on the grounds. I know it."

Professor Longbottom's eyes widened. "Zabini is here?" he asked. "Sit down. Tell me exactly what happened from the beginning."

Scorpius said exactly what happened how his head started to hurt. He also said that his scar was bothering worse than usual. "I don't know why I was seeing Lily Potter. I don't. There wasn't any color," he said.

Professor Longbottom stared at Scorpius for a moment. "Did you have any kind of pain in the morning before your fight with Albus?" he asked.

"Just the usual sensation," replied Scorpius. "Why?"

"Rita Skeeter's dead."

Scorpius leaned back in his chair. He shook his head. "No, she can't be. I didn't feel like I normally do when he kills someone," he whispered.

"That's because we think someone else killed her," said Professor Longbottom.

"You mean you and Mr. Potter," said Scorpius. "Where is Lily right now? Find her. I've got to see her."

Professor Longbottom nodded. He was starting to get a bad feeling that Scorpius was right. He sent word for Lily to come to his office and ordered some food for Scorpius. He ate only because he had to as they waited. It went on for minutes that seemed to drag on for hours. Mr. Filch finally came back.

"Where is Lily Potter?" asked Professor Longbottom.

Mr. Filch looked not so much vexed as worried. "I looked outside. I found these." He set two things on the table: Lily's wand and one of her rose gold hairclips.

* * *

Author's Note: A cruel cliffhanger. I promise that the next update will come up as soon as possible. Yes, we're headed towards the climax, but a few things have to happen first. I can't even predict how many more chapters there are left to go.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	65. Part 65: The Attic Space

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Sixty-Five: The Attic Space

Scorpius reached out and took the hairclip into his hand. Professor Longbottom got to his feet and said to Mr. Filch, "Tell Larkin that we have a situation and meet us in the Headmistress' office. Go now." Professor Longbottom used his wand and did the incantation to test the wand after Mr. Filch left. "It hasn't been used recently."

"Zabini's got her," whispered Scorpius as he got up. "Do something, Professor Longbottom. We've got find her." His voice started to shake at this point.

"We are doing something," said Professor Longbottom. "Come with me. We need to get a hold of Harry and the rest of the Aurors."

Scorpius nodded. Now was not the time for him to get hysterical. He said, "What about her brothers? We've got to tell Albus and James."

"We'll get to it," said Professor Longbottom. He softened a bit and said to his prized student, "Remember your training, Scorpius. Do not panic. Do not use your anger to get things done, or you'll get yourself hurt or worse. Remember?"

"Yes, sir," nodded Scorpius solemnly. "I'm not my dad. I'm not the Inquisitor."

"No, I think your dad and I believe that you'll be better than the Inquisitor."

Mr. Filch and the rest of the faculty and staff began the special procedures that hadn't been in place since Professor Longbottom's third year at the school. All the students were rounded up and gathered into the Great Hall. They were all confused and puzzled as they wondered why the heads of house were ordered to bring them all to the Great Hall.

Roxanne realized that something was wrong because Lily wasn't there. She looked around and saw the Quidditch team pulled in from the pitch. She looked towards the Slytherins and saw that Scorpius wasn't with them. She worried about the pair of them coming in together. Professor Longbottom came out and went straight for James. He signaled for Albus to join them. Roxanne could see the worried lines that creased Professor Longbottom's forehead. She approached them.

"You two need to come with me," said their head of house.

"Okay," nodded James with his broom still in hand and in his Quidditch gear. Albus simply nodded.

Roxanne realized that something was truly wrong. He didn't ask for Lily. Why would Professor Longbottom ask for just the brothers, but not their sister? Feeling sick to her stomach, she rushed over to her brother. "Fred," she whispered.

Fred went over to her, asking, "What's going on?"

"Help me get back to the tower," pleaded Roxanne. "I'll explain. Please."

Fred shrugged, but went along. He always seemed to do whatever his little doe eyed sister would ask him. This time there was more at stake and he couldn't say no because he could see that she was freaking out. They had to move fast to get back to the dorms as they went Roxanne poured out the story to Fred. He listened and by the end of it was just as worried as she was.

"Hurry up," Fred urged. "We need to get back down before they notice we're gone."

Roxanne came down very quickly. "Wait, we need to check the map. If Lily's still on the map," she said, "then we won't have a problem."

"Faster," said Fred, not waiting to wait either.

Roxanne pointed her wand at the map, saying the incantation, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good." The blank parchment filled in and the population of the school filled out. Roxanne searched the map, but then handed it to Fred. "Do you see her? I see Scorpius, he's in the Headmistress' office."

"That's not good," said Fred as he looked over the map. "Lily's not on this map. Let's go. I never thought I'd say this but you're turning yourself in. I'll stay with you."

Roxanne paled a bit. Her skin was tawny, so it was easier to tell than on Fred just how pale she had gotten. She nodded and Fred took her hand, keeping the map with his. He had left his broom against the wall and they left the tower.

Harry was home on time for the first time in weeks. It was just him and Ginny and the house was so quiet with their children away at school. Ginny knew how stressed he was. She made dinner and they settled for a quiet evening at home. At least that was what they had hoped. A knock came at the door shortly after nine. Harry went to go answer it. It was Neville. "Hullo Neville. What are you doing here?" asked Harry. "I mean it's not a great to see you, but why are you here?"

Neville shifted his feet. He had come down personally to do this. He looked weary and he asked, "Is Ginny here?"

"Yes, we're both here," answered Ginny from behind. "Do you want some tea? Harry, invite him inside."

"Both of you need to sit down," said Neville.

Harry crossed his arms over his chest. He looked as tired as Neville, but he refused to sit down. "What is going on? Tell me."

"Sit down, please," said Neville.

Ginny was sitting next to Harry and pulled on his arm. Harry reluctantly took the chair. "Blaise Zabini made it on the school grounds," said Neville. "Lily's gone." The news didn't sink in right away. The Potters sat in stunned silence. Neville went on, "Filch searched the grounds and found only her wand and one of her hairclips. Scorpius, as you know, was in the infirmary. He always has a physical attack from his own scar just before something major happens. He says that Zabini has her."

"Oh my God," exclaimed Ginny as she started shaking, grasping at Harry's hand.

Harry's jaw had tightened over the course of Neville's explanation. He had to loosen it before he could talk, "We need to mobilize. What is going on at the school right now?"

"We've locked it down. Every student has been gathered to the Great Hall and we told James and Albus. I'm here to collect you and Ginny to come to the school," said Neville. "The faculty and staff have started to search. Hagrid is leading the ground search into the woods and Larkin is testing the wards. Cho is doing the aerial search with Madame Hooch and some of the other teachers. We have a description of what Lily was wearing. She was wearing her red coat, so that makes it a bit easier to search for her."

"Let's go," said Harry as he got up and went to collect the cloaks, letting go of Ginny's hand.

Neville put his hand on her shoulder. "We'll find her before anything will happen."

"How did Zabini know to take her?" asked Ginny tearfully.

Neville didn't answer. He couldn't as Harry came back with the cloaks. They used their fireplace to get to the Headmistress' office. Harry had no time to alert the Aurorsfrom home to mobilize as soon as they came through the fireplace. They saw James pacing the office like a trapped tiger, while Albus and Scorpius were sitting in chairs in front of the Headmistress' desk.

Professor McGonagall was sitting at her desk with Fred and Roxanne next to her. The Marauders' Map was laid out in front of her. She looked up when Harry and Ginny came. "Dad! Mum!" exclaimed Albus as he got up out of the chair and rushed them. Ginny wrapped her arms around him, holding him close.

James had stopped pacing. The worry was written across his face, but he didn't run up to his parents. Scorpius averted his gaze from the Potters, looking down at his trainers. "Fred and Roxanne are here to explain what happened," said Professor McGongall.

Scorpius got out of the chair and offered it to the Potters. He hadn't said much since the Potter brothers came. His hand was on his scar the entire time. "Tell me what's going on," prompted Harry, forgoing any kind of manners or civility.

Professor McGonagall provided some kind of protection for Roxanne as she told her uncle what had happened during the day. Scorpius spoke up at the end, "I never wrote Lily any letters. It wasn't me who wrote her. He used that owl and was using its eyes to make sure she took the letter. I can't get by the barriers. They're in place to keep him from getting to me, but they're more to keep me in."

Scorpius didn't look at anyone in particular when he said this. "When you were looking through what was left of his house did you find the letters I wrote Pansy Parkinson?" he asked Harry. At this point, he looked at him straight in the eye. His voice was deceptively calm.

"No, we didn't," replied Harry.

"He used them," said Scorpius.

Harry stared at Scorpius. He just had an epiphany. He had had the letters that Pansy had written Scorpius. In the letters, she was giving him advance about how to handle a girl that liked him. She had told him that it would take time and he would know when it was the right time to act. The girl's name wasn't in Pansy's letters. Rather, she never wrote it. Harry now knew who that girl was. "I see," Harry simply said.

"This is his fault!" exclaimed James at this point. "If anything happens to her, I swear I'll kill you." He had marched up to Scorpius, but didn't get too close to him.

"James, stop," pleaded Ginny from her seat. "Harry, what are we going to do?"

"Neville, do you mind leaving your post temporarily? I need your help," said Harry.

"I'm already at your disposal," said Neville. "I'll get the others. We'll start searching for her. I'll get back to you straight away."

"I'm so sorry, Aunt Ginny," said Roxanne tearfully. Fred wrapped his arm around her shoulder to steady her. "I should have stopped her."

Ginny didn't have it in her to comfort her niece at this point. Scorpius wanted to leave the office more than anything. James was steaming with hostility and Albus was avoiding making eye contact with him. He didn't deny that it was his fault. The worst part was that Blaise Zabini had another victim in his clutches. Scorpius knew it. "He hasn't made contact yet. He's waiting," he said. "He will eventually make contact. Let me talk to him."

Harry stopped and said, "No. You won't talk to him."

"Mr. Potter, you want her back. He wants me. I should have died two years ago. If I had, this wouldn't be happening now."

"No," said Harry, even though it took every fiber of strength in him to say it. "We'll come up with something else. Not that."

"She's still alive," said Scorpius. "I can feel it. He's waiting right now. Just waiting."

"All of you go back to the Great Hall now," ordered Harry.

"Dad!" exclaimed James.

"You won't be any help here, James," said Harry. "Just go."

The students were rounded up and sent out of the office. James restrained himself from kicking Scorpius down the stairs. Filch was the one who was taking them back to the Great Hall. Scorpius and Albus walked next to each other. "I'm sorry," said Scorpius to Albus.

"I'm sorry, too," said Albus.

Scorpius stepped away from him, but Albus didn't care as Fred and Roxanne walked up to him. James was scowling as Scorpius backtracked alongside him. "Potter, I need you to help me," he said.

"Why would I do that?" asked James.

"You want your sister back and you want me gone. We'll both get what we want, if you help me," replied Scorpius.

"What are you thinking?" asked James as the scowl was replaced by a curiosity.

"A plan, but you need to keep quiet and get me out of here," replied Scorpius. That was why he was silent the entire time in the office. A quiet Malfoy was never a good thing. He had gone into plotting mode after Roxanne first explained to the Headmistress. He started to formulate a plan. He had to dig deep though. He was going to have to do something he wasn't supposed to do. He couldn't let Blaise Zabini win. "When the time comes, you will know what to do."

When they got to the Great Hall, Scorpius was the only student who hadn't had a chance to collect something from his dorm. So, he was escorted back to the dorms just to pick up some things for the night. He went to his trunk and collected his dad's cloak and some money both Muggle currency and wizards' gold. By the time he returned to the Great Hall, a lot of Aurors had come in and they were escorted to the Headmistress' office.

"Hey, Malfoy," said one of his housemates, "is it true that Harry Potter is here?"

"Yes," said Scorpius. He didn't stay with his housemates. As usual he made his way to the Gryffindors. He looked to James, who held his eyes in his own. Albus waved him to come over. He, Rose, Hugo, Fred, and Roxanne were sitting in a semi circle. Scorpius went to join them.

Lily was silent. She was never so scared in her whole life. Blaise Zabini didn't look like a monster. No, he looked like a dapper businessman. He lit a cigarette and the air filled with cloves. He took a long drag. "Nasty habit. The Muggles smoke these all the time," he told her. He looked at her. "You look just like your mum. I can see why he likes you." His fingers, the one with the cigarette, grazed her cheek. She could feel the heat off the tip.

Lily sat still with her hands balled into fists on her lap. Her hair was a mess. She had lost one of her hairclips. "You really don't have a future, my dear," said Zabini almost with a pitying. "It doesn't make a whole lot of sense anyway. He's a pureblood. You're a filthy mudblood. You can say, yes, but all my grandparents were wizards and witches. But you're still a mudblood. You're both blood traitors, so I suppose you have that in common." He laughed softly. "But you're Potter. He's a Malfoy." He made a soft tsk tsk sound, shaking his head. "It will never work." He started to again laugh, and then he added, "Because I'm going to kill him."

Lily dared to look him in the eye. She had never seen such soulless, vacant eyes. The laughter didn't reach his eyes. "My dad will get you," she whispered. "He won't stop until he does."

"Oh, my little flower, I'm sure your dad is rallying the troops as we speak," said Zabini. He took a drag from his cigarette. The fragrance at first was sweet, but now it was making Lily sick. He flicked the cigarette, letting the ash drop from it. "He may get to me as you say, but not before I kill Scorpius Malfoy. And I will kill him."

"Why? What did he do to you?" asked Lily as the tears pricked her eyes. She blinked them away. Let him see how scared she was, but she wasn't going to let him see her cry.

Zabini smiled. It was like watching a crocodile. "I had a perfect record going until he survived. He should have been dead. Maybe, next time I'll aim for his head. I thought it best to hit him in the torso. He'd be alive, but his death would have been painful. I rather liked that idea," he said. "It's no fun unless there's a lot of pain and blood. The Killing Curse is a joke. No fun, no sport to it."

Lily was chilled to her core. He sounded like he was talking about the weather or a Quidditch match. "You're sick," she declared in disgusted.

There was a flash that went through Zabini's eyes. He grabbed her by the throat, yanking her upwards out of her chair. "Do not talk to me like that," he snarled into her ear. She was shaking out of fear and a whimper escaped from her lips as she scratched her nails into his skin. He might as well been holding a kitten by its throat all the damage she could do. He said, "I think it's time I move you to your new accommodations."

Lily didn't reach up to rub her neck, even though she wanted to. She wouldn't let him have that satisfaction. Lily had no idea where they were. Wherever it was, it was dark and bleak. It smelled old, but clean. On the wall, a house elf had been mounted, pinned to the wall. It was bleeding, clearly dead. She was sitting on an antique chair. Zabini purposely took her to a room that didn't have any family effects in it, so she couldn't tell where she was.

Once again, Zabini used his wand on her. Lily felt the Imperius Curse take hold of her. She struggled against it. She forced herself free. "NO!" she screamed.

Zabini was a bit startled by this. "You are more powerful than I thought." He pointed his wand again at her. The curse hit Lily full force. Her body moved on its own accord and she struggled against it. It was starting to hurt her. "You're so stubborn for someone so young." He only used the curse harder. He was very apt at it, having used it for years on Pansy.

Lily was yanked to her feet and marched forward. They went through a wall, a passageway, and climbed so many stairs. It was an attic. Or what looked like one. Zabinimarched her way the way against the wall where there was no light, no windows. He then stepped back. He waved his wand again and a wall formed in front of him. It was dark and cold. Some light came in along with a draft through the side in a seam. She could hear Zabini's retreating footsteps.

She waited several minutes before she started to scream. She pounded her fists against the wall. She only stopped when they were sore and slid down to the floor with her back against the wall. She drew several calming breaths and wiped the tears from her face.

Ron and Hermione came to the school as quickly as possible. Teddy was there as well. Every Auror was pulled from places that they were supposed to stand guard at, including the warehouse that belonged to Draco Malfoy. They had put in wards to keep it under lock and key, but it wouldn't stop someone who had been there before from getting to it.

Scorpius didn't want to get his friends into trouble, but he needed a way to get out of the school. He and Albus were talking again. Albus was worried about Lily. "What are we going to do?" asked Albus.

"I need to get out of here," said Scorpius. "She's still alive. Nothing has happened to her yet, and your dad won't agree to do a trade."

"You can't trade with him. He'll just kill you both," pointed out Albus.

"I don't intend to let him kill me or her," said Scorpius. "All this time I've sat back and let things happen around me. I let people tell me that I should do something. No, I'm not going to sit back anymore. You and Fred need to do a distraction. Something big and elaborate."

The other Weasleys surrounded them, listening to them. Fred said, "It just so happens big and elaborate distractions are my specialty."

"We'll help," chimed in Louis. "We've got your back."

Rose and Hugo nodded along with Roxanne. "I can't get pass the barriers, but I know that you can, James. Are you up for coming with me?" asked Scorpius.

"Yeah, I'm up for it," agreed James.

Fred produced a box. "It's a special kit that my dad designed ages ago. It's filled with enough lovely diversions to cause some serious chaos," he told them.

"How did you get that?" asked Roxanne. Then she knew the answer, "You nicked it from Dad's shop. What did Dad say about taking things from his shop?"

"It won't be good enough for us to take the usual exits out of the castle," said James. "We won't have to bother with the barriers, if we take the passageways out. The charms and wards on those should be easier to break. I know how Dad does it."

"There are passageways out of the castle?" asked Scorpius. "Of course, there are. What was up with that map that Professor McGonagall had?"

"Something our dad's dad created with his mates two generations back," said Albus. "It shows the positions of all the students on campus, including ours." He then drew out a piece of parchment. He drew out a map of sorts. "The fastest way out of here, the way that's not guarded probably is the Whoomping Willow."

"I thought so," said James. "If we take the passageway to Honeydukes, it would be blocked for sure."

"Right," agreed Albus.

"The Whoomping Willow is a passageway out of here?" asked Scorpius. "No one goes near it. How will you stop it from throttling us?"

"There is a way," said James. "Teddy knows it just as well as any of us and he's probably here. We need multiple diversions."

Rose said, "Leave it to us. Hugo, are you up for it?"

"Sure," replied her brother with a grin.

"Okay, so this is what we'll do, Albus and Fred make your way to the passageway for Honeydukes. Roxanne and Louis make a play for the main entrance. We'll get to theWhoomping Willow. Do you have your invisibility cloak? I've got mine," said Scorpius.

"Yes," nodded James.

"We wait until the Aurors leave," said Scorpius. "Then we go." He went into further detail about the plan he had. He didn't give all the details away just enough to get them out of the castle. It wasn't hard to believe that he was the Inquisitor's son after all.

* * *

Author's Note: Long chapters are coming your way. I will post the next chapter as soon as possible once again. I must say the scene between Lily and Zabini was particularly hard to write. How do you write the dialogue of a serial killer and a potential next victim?

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	66. Part 66: A Safe Place

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Sixty-Six: A Safe Place

Teddy surveyed the Great Hall. He saw Scorpius sitting with the Potters and Weasleys in a circle, chatting. It wasn't a social call at all. Teddy remained professionally detached. Or at least he tried to. Hugo spotted him, waved, and grinned. Rose yanked down his arm with a stern look. This made Teddy curious. The others looked up, Scorpius was the last one to look. Then, they turned back to whatever it was that they were discussing.

Teddy knew the brats were up to something. He wouldn't be a very good Auror, if he didn't investigate, so he strolled over. "Scorpius, watcher?" he said to his cousin, who he regarded as his kid brother.

"Hello Teddy," said Scorpius grimly. "Why are you stuck here? Shouldn't you be out looking for Lily?"

"I wanted to see how you're holding up. How all of you are holding up," said Teddy sincerely.

Before he got there, Scorpius had thrown his Invisibility Cloak over the parchment that Albus was using and the kit that Fred had. Fred had just enough time to pull his legs back so they wouldn't disappear. Teddy knew better than to expect a straight answer from Scorpius, James, or Fred. He zeroed in on Hugo. "Your mum's here, Hugo. Rose," he said. "Your dad came in with her, but he left with your uncle."

"She is?" asked Hugo.

"Yes, she is," affirmed Teddy. "Now, would like to tell me what you're up to, or would you like to tell your mum?"

"Aw, come on, Teddy," complained James. "Why do you have to be such a prat?"

"Because we don't have time right now for any sort of mischief," replied Teddy.

"You used to be cool," grumbled James. "Now, you are so uncool."

Teddy said, "I don't care. Whatever it is you're planning, knock it off. Got it?"

There were varying degrees of yes. Notably, Scorpius didn't give an answer. Teddy didn't particularly like the lack of expression on his face. "Stay put, Scorpius."

"Or what?" drawled Scorpius.

"Just do it, all right?" said Teddy.

"I really wish I could do what you're asking, Teddy," said Scorpius in a reasonable voice. "But we both know that's not going to happen."

Teddy frowned. They were both equal parts Black, but Teddy was a Lupin. Scorpius had a slight smirk on his face, which Teddy disliked even more than the stony expression he had earlier. "Scorpius, don't make me call your gran," warned Teddy.

Actually, all the others were pretty much scared of Scorpius' grandmother. Amazingly, Scorpius didn't flinch. "That's a very childish threat, Teddy," retorted Scorpius with vexing calm.

"Listen, you brat," snapped Teddy angrily. The others had seen him annoyed and angry, but never like this. It was as if Scorpius had a super power. "I don't want anything to happen to you. Just once, could you please just do what I ask?"

"No," said Scorpius flatly. "Because no one has said it, but if I don't do something Lily is dead. And I'm truly sorry for what I'm going to do to you, cousin." He looked at Fred. Over the course of the conversation, Fred had managed to get the smoke bombs out of the kit without seeing them.

There was a click and Fred declared, "Sorry, Teddy!" He flung them as at Teddy. Scorpius dove out of the way. The grand scrambled happened as Albus, who used his wand to launch the bat bogey hex into the air. In the ensuing chaos, James pulled out his cloak and put it on. Scorpius did the same and they both started making the dash for the outside.

Filch and other staff members present were no match for this. Hugo and Rose pulled back and away, dropping some marbles on the ground that caused other people to trip and fall. Everyone else scrambled and went the way they were supposed to. There was shouting and screaming as the Headmistress came along with Hermione.

"What is going on?" demanded the Headmistress, which put a stop to everyone's movements. Hermione looked at the damaged and Hugo and Rose stared up at her mother. She shook her head. It was never a good thing when her children worked together on something.

In the midst of all of it, Teddy was furious. "He's gone!" he shouted. "Scorpius is gone!"

Scorpius and James went out into the courtyard. They had to move fast. "We are so going to get expelled for this," said James.

"Like that should worry you," said Scorpius.

James knew how to freeze the Whoomping Willow. Scorpius started at it. He wasn't so sure about the tree because it was as forbidding as ever. It was thrashing about as if it knew what they were going to do. James explained, "My granddad and his mates use to use this passageway to take Teddy's dad when he had to do his monthly transformation."

"In for a knut, in for a galleon," said Scorpius with a shrug.

"Right," said James. He had some marbles from the kit that Fred had. He used them to hit the knots just right and the tree froze.

"Wow," said Scorpius mildly impressed.

"We need to get through before they figure out which way we went," said James.

"You do realize that this is the most civil you've ever been to me," pointed out Scorpius.

James said, "Until I get my sister back, we're having a truce. You go in first."

"Thank you," said Scorpius as they went into the passageway. It didn't take long as they went through roots, dirt and cobwebs until they came out in the Shrieking Shack. After they got out, they didn't linger for very long. "We need to head to the train station," said Scorpius.

"Seriously?" asked James.

"They wouldn't expect us to travel that way and I need to go somewhere and pick up a few things," said Scorpius. "It won't take long. I promise. We can't go into a fight without getting some things first."

"I don't have any money on me, Malfoy," pointed out James. "In case you didn't know, regular people need money to ride on the train."

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "I've got money," he said. "I need to see a map. I hope I can remember where to go."

"Great, just great," muttered James. He sighed, "Let's go."

To say that Hermione was livid would have been an understatement. As soon as everything was cleaned up, she had her children, nephews, and nieces rounded up in the Headmistress' office. The Headmistress sat back and watched as they collectively quaked in fear. Only one was spared from this, Ginny had taken her remaining child aside with her. She wanted to keep him close by to keep an eye on him.

"What were you thinking, Albus Severus Potter?" demanded Ginny in angry voice. "I expect reckless, stupid behavior from your brother, but not you."

Albus was now a little bit taller than his mum, but he might as well have been toddler sized with the way she was talking to him. "Mum, Scorpius' right. Dad wouldn't even let him try."

"Your dad doesn't want him to get killed, Albus," exclaimed Ginny. "How could you do this to me? Right now?" She was on the brink of tears. It would have been better for Albus to get yelled at and reamed by his aunt rather and go through this.

"I'm sorry, Mum," said Albus. "But Scorpius made a promise. He said he'd bring her back alive. And he will."

"What makes you think he'll keep his promise? What makes you think he can?" asked Ginny.

Albus said, "He sounded so sure of himself. Haven't you ever heard someone say something like that before and you just have to believe them?"

Ginny nodded and wiped her tears away. "Yes, I have," she whispered.

James had never traveled extensively through Muggle transport. Normally, he would have been more interested, but he didn't have a chance to be. They had managed to get a London A to Z Guide for Scorpius to use and he was able to pinpoint the location he was looking for. He knew the list of his dad's properties. "James, how well do you know how to break down the wards that the Aurors put in place over a structure?" he asked as he went through the maps, trying to plot how they were going to get from one mode of transportation to the next.

"They're pretty basic," said James. "You aren't worried about us using under age magic?"

"Potter, why are you suddenly a stickler for the rules? With your sister at stake, I say we don't have much of a choice."

James gave him a long look. "You really do care, don't you, Malfoy?"

"I'm not going to let him kill anyone else," replied Scorpius. "Get some sleep, Potter. This might be your only chance to get some rest."

James was suspicious, but Scorpius was right. He had been asleep while Lily was abducted, but James was playing Quidditch at that time. James didn't press Scorpiusfurther about Lily. Whatever was driving him to do it, James wasn't going to stop him. With that thought, he was able to fall asleep.

They came into London when it was late. They had to take the Underground to get to where they needed to go. They ended up in an empty lot. James said, "This is where we're supposed to be?"

"Yes," said Scorpius. He picked up a rock and threw it at the lot. It hit the barrier and began to shimmer. "It looks like they put another layer over it."

"What is this place, Malfoy?" asked James.

"It's my dad's," replied Scorpius. "My dad did what your dad did for a living. He captured Death Eaters, but he went after the ones that your dad couldn't reach. He did it using the things in there."

James said, "You knew that I'd know more about breaking down this barrier better than Albus, didn't you?"

"I had an idea that you did, Potter," said Scorpius. "The Aurors are gone. They're on the search and the hunt. We need to get inside."

James took out his wand and pointed it at the barrier. He concentrated. Like his parents, James was a great wizard. He was further along than anyone could have thought, but it was harder than him to do. He said the simple unlocking spell, "_Aperta__ obice."_

"That's it? You've got to be kidding me," said Scorpius. "That is ridiculous. It might as well have been open sesame."

"My dad's logic is why make it that hard to open, if no one is looking for a place anyway," said James with a shrug.

Scorpius remembered his dad's combination to open his crushing safe. He realized that his dad and James' dad indeed very similar. The barrier came down and Scorpiusknew how to get inside. When they got inside, James turned on his wand. "_Lumos_," he said, glancing around. "What the Hell is all this?"

"My dad's stuff," said Scorpius as he turned on the lights.

"Whoa," said James. "It's like…I've never seen anything like this before."

"Do not touch anything," said Scorpius.

James saw something distinctively car shaped under a cover. "Is that a car?" he asked.

"Potter, focus!" exclaimed Scorpius.

James ignored him altogether as he pulled the cover off. It was a beautiful black car. "There's a motorcycle!" he shouted as he ran to the next thing. "This is so cool."

"Your sister, Potter!" Scorpius reminded him.

"Right," nodded James. "So your dad had his own bat cave."

"I don't know what you're talking about. There aren't bats around here. And this is a warehouse, not a cave," said Scorpius, shaking his head.

"Someone has got to buy you some Muggle comic books," said James. "Okay, what do we need?"

Scorpius looked around the shelves at the tools that his dad had left behind. Notably, the weapons had been taken away from the Aurors. James explored more of the warehouse, touching things to spite Scorpius and his warning. "What did your dad really do?" he asked.

"He was," Scorpius paused and sighed, "the Inquisitor." He was pleasantly surprised that Skeeter had left that out of her article. He wondered why she had done it. She was known for airing all sorts of dirty laundry.

"The what?" asked James. "This place has got a lot of Muggle thingamabobs and whatchma call its." He went up into loft area. "He had Muggle clothes, too. Hey, there's some Muggle money and big numbers on it, too."

"Take it," said Scorpius. "We might need it."

James climbed back down to look at what Scorpius was seeing. "No way. This is armor," he said, pulling on something that looked like a mesh shirt.

"I'll take that then," said Scorpius. He looked at his dad's other work station. There were papers, maps, and other things laid out, but most of it was put away. The Aurors hadn't been able to make sense of what his dad was thinkng.

"What do we do now? How do we find Zabini and get him?"

"I'm thinking," answered Scorpius as he kept his hand at his side.

James had seen him do it a lot. He had seen it gaping and bleeding. "So, that's what he did to you, isn't it?" he asked, filling in the awkward silence.

Scorpius nodded. "Ever since then, all I feel is constant pain from it. When things get bad, when he does bad things, it gets worse. You were there during the summer when he killed. I'm afraid to close my eyes. I saw him kill his mother. Through his eyes."

"That's how my dad's scar was like," said James. "He tried to use it, but Voldemort knew it existed so he used it against him."

"Zabini doesn't know about it. He probably thinks it's a regular scar," said Scorpius. "It connects me to him."

"Then use," said James. He could see the fear in Scorpius' eyes. "Listen, Malfoy, my sister needs you to do this. You're the only one who can find her in time."

"Your dad and Professor Longbottom made it very clear how dangerous it is for me to do not block Zabini out," said Scorpius.

James scowled. Scorpius was going to say something else, but he felt a new surge pain. It started at the scar and permeated out. He clutched at his side and James instinctively reached to stop him from falling. "No," groaned Scorpius. "Don't touch me." James had paled, so much so that his freckles had disappeared. He couldn't even say what he was thinking. The pain eased again like a wave ebbing. "She's not dead. She did something to make him angry. Really angry."

James breathed a sigh of relief. "Lily's fighter. She's as stubborn as a pig. She wouldn't be quiet," he said.

Scorpius straightened up. "We need some sleeping draught," he said. He walked over to the makeshift clinic. There were several potions. "So you're doing to do it?" asked James.

"We don't have a choice," answered Scorpius. He read the labels and grabbed two bottles. "This is the draught to put me to sleep." He held up the other bottle, saying, "Use this to wake me up."

James nodded, "There's a bed in the loft."

"It's not going to be pretty," warned Scorpius as he climbed up the loft with James following close behind him. "But don't wake me up straight away, no matter how bad it looks."

"When should I wake you up?" asked James.

Scorpius thought about it, and answered, "You decide." He had no one else at the moment to trust, but James.

"Promise that you won't sting me," said James wryly.

"I'll try," said Scorpius. Hew ent up to the bed and slipped off his trainers. It wasn't musty at all. It smelled faintly like sandalwood and yuzu. It was his dad's aftershave on the pillow. He opened the bottle and took a swig of the potion. His body went lax so fast that James caught the bottle and the cork before they fell. He set them on the bedside table. James had the other potion in his hand. He broke the seal and lifted the cork just enough so he could get it out fast if he had to. All James could do was wait. That was asking a lot from him.

Scorpius woke up in a familiar place. He was sitting in a chair over looking a clear, blue lake. The air was warm and calming. It was the lake house. He heard high pitch shrieking and giggling. Two little girls came running at him from the corn with their blue eyes shining and bright. One was a brunette and the other was a blonde. "Scorpius," they chimed excitedly, each grabbing one of his arms. He stood up.

"You're here!" squealed the brunette with utter delight. "Mummy said you weren't coming, so did Auntie."

"We missed you!" exclaimed the blonde, pushing her bottom lip out in a perfect pout.

Scorpius felt a wave of sorrow hit him. How could he end up here? "I missed you, too," he managed to say almost choked on the words.

"Girls, go to your mummy," said a gentle, deep voice from behind them.

"Aw, Daddy," whined the elder one. "Scorpius just got here."

"Yeah," agreed her sister. "He hasn't even given us kisses yet."

They both pouted at their dad. "Give them their kisses so they can go, Scorpius," he told him with a sigh.

Scorpius bent down and kissed them both. He held them close. His imagination was better than he thought as he pulled them even closer. They planted kisses on his cheeks and he let go. They ran off, but the younger one waved at him one more time before disappearing.

"Uncle Greg," said Scorpius. "You've shrunk."

His uncle gave a hearty laugh. "No, you've gotten taller. Blimey, you are the spit of your dad these days, aren't you?"

"So people tell me," replied Scorpius. He hadn't seen his uncle smile since the week before Cornwall.

"Come along," said his uncle. "You're not supposed to be here, but you're sight for sore eyes." He clapped his hand on Scorpius' back.

Scorpius swallowed. He walked by the kitchen where he saw his aunt. She was rolling out some biscuits with the girls. She looked up and greeted him with a blinding smile, "Hello Scorpius. You look so grown up, even if you look like your dad."

Scorpius broke out in a grin. It had to be her. She couldn't resist putting in a jab at his dad. "Aunt Daphne," he said fondly as she gave him a hug.

"You're so tall now," she said, "but look at what you're wearing, always a grey shirt, jeans, and trainers when you're out of school uniform. You really are your mum's son, taking comfort over style. You best hurry. She'll want to see you."

"Follow the music," said his uncle.

Scorpius could hear the music. It was vaguely familiar, but it wasn't the pieces he had listened to over and over on her albums. He knew it had to be the music she hadn't had a chance to record, the music that Fred and Albus had found at Greengrass Glen. Scorpius followed the music into the living room, where she usually practiced at the lake house. Scorpius stood frozen, watching her as she poured over the music. He hadn't said anything. He couldn't speak.

Then, she looked up at him. "Scorpius!" she exclaimed as she nearly dropped her violin all the sheet music fell off the stand and strewed about the floor. She was the one who looked like she had seen a ghost. She set down her bow and violin and ran up to him. "Look at you, looking so grown up," she said as she walked around him. "You're so big now. I can't believe you came out of me." She gave him a radiant smile. Then she noticed that he hadn't said a word. She put his hand on his cheek.

"Mum," was all Scorpius could say.

"I know, sweetheart. I know," she said. "It's been so very hard for you. You've done so much more than anyone could have expected from you. You've been so brave. You just need to push even more. Don't give up now. You've fought so hard."

"I don't think I can fight him," whispered Scorpius. "Dad couldn't fight him. Where is Dad?" Like in life, it appeared that he was always going to have to ask about his dad's whereabouts.

"Your dad is always around. He always hovers as you know," said his mum. "You don't have to fight him." His mum didn't bit her lip nor did she look anxious as she did in life whenever he asked after his dad. She added with a cryptic smile, "He's nearby."

"Why can't you two ever just give me a straight answer?" asked Scorpius.

"Because it will only scare you more," replied his mum as Scorpius frowned. "Don't be mad, love."

"Him and his secrets," muttered Scorpius.

His mum pressed her hand against Scorpius' scar. For the first time, he noticed that it wasn't troubling him. "It is because of this that you're still alive and it's what's going to keep you that way."

"I just want to stay here with you."

"You can't stay here, my love. I wish you could, but you can't. Not yet."

"Why do I have to go back?"

"Look in your pocket." Scorpius pulled away from his mum, but not so far away. He dug into his left jean pocket and found what he had put in there hours ago. It was Lily's hairclip. His mum smiled. He closed his hand over it and she covered his hand. "I told you one day you'd have so many friends and you'll have a family even bigger than just us and your grandparents. Your world is a lot bigger than the one we gave you to start with, Scorpius."

"I love you," whispered Scorpius.

"I love you, too," returned his mum.

"I need to find her."

"Then you'll have to face your fears."

"How do I find her?"

"You will have to leave here. He can't get in here. He doesn't know that you can get into his thoats."

"He doesn't know his thoughts have been disturbing me."

"Right," said his mum. "But don't linger there too long, Scorpius."

"I wouldn't want to Mum," said Scorpius.

"Go now," said his mum. She gave him a hug and kiss. "And I say this with all my love, but I don't want to see you here so soon."

* * *

Author's Note: This chapter went a bit longer than I had intended, but I did say that these chapters would be long. I like the idea of symmetry that ties this closely to the original story. It keeps the continuum. Incidentally, time and how it plays out is weird. The part where Lily ticks off Zabini to the point where he nearly strangles her happens at the same time as Scorpius has his latest physical attack. It seems like it's running backwards in certain parts. Sorry for that.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	67. Part 67: The Warehouse, Continued

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Sixty-Seven: The Warehouse, Continued

The lake house dissolved around Scorpius. The pain returned full force. Scorpius knew what he had to do. Over the summer Harry had taught him how to block out Zabini's thoughts through Occlumency. In turn, Scorpius saw how Harry did the technique to invade his thoughts, he used Legilimency. Scorpius' most natural subject, true for any son of a Ravenclaw, was charms. Also, he had a natural talent because his father was very good at it. He always knew when Scorpius was lying. It wasn't until his training with Harry did Scorpius realize that his dad was invading his privacy.

Legilimency was hard to do at long distances and almost always required some kind of eye contact, but Scorpius had a back way into Zabini's thoughts. Scorpius had to let his body go, let his mind fall where he didn't want it to go. He had spent two years avoiding it. It was time to let go.

Scorpius was in a dark place without windows or doors. The pain intensified as he pushed harder. The pain meant he was getting closer and closer. It seemed like hours had passed as he stopped himself from screaming and tried to keep his body still. His vision blurred as he felt dizzy. No, he couldn't pull out. He was getting so close. Then, his vision cleared, but the pain remained.

He was reading a newspaper. It was the interview with Rita Skeeter. The news about her death hadn't made it out yet. Less than twelve hours had passed since Lily's kidnapping. Zabini was reading it over and over again. Scorpius could see what he was reading, but he couldn't get him to move around. He'd have to do it. Then, Zabini looked at his pocket watch.

It was hard to tell the time because there were no numbers on the black onyx faced pocket watch with ivory hour and minute hands. Zabini only glanced at it for an instant. He then took in his surroundings. Lily was no where in sight, which made Scorpius worry.

Then, Zabini stood up and poured something. He inhaled it. It was port. He drank it, and then he went up and walked by something that he had pinned to the wall. He stopped to stare at it.

The sight of it made Scorpius' insides turn into ice. It was the house elf of Malfoy Manor. It had been mounted to the wall with the decorative knives that were part of the family's armory. The house elf was pinned onto a tapestry. It wasn't just any tapestry. It was a large woven family tree. There was only one place in the world where this tapestry had been hung. "Too bad you can't clean up this mess," said Zabini blandly.

Scorpius had seen enough. He had been quiet until this point. He needed to wake up. "Help! POTTER!"

Scorpius' nostrils filled with pungent smell that was a heady mix of garlic and mint. "Malfoy, rise and shine! Don't make me slap you!" exclaimed James. Scorpius' eyes fluttered open. James looked somewhat relieved. "Do not ask me to help you on something like this ever again," he said.

Scorpius sat up. "How long have I been out?"

"Not long," answered James, "less than two hours. At first you, you were fine. Then you started thrashing about and screaming. You're really sweaty right now."

Scorpius felt exhausted and he fell back into the bed. "I know where Zabini is," he said.

"Is Lily with him?"

"I didn't see her."

"What did you see? Where are they?"

"Malfoy Manor," said Scorpius. He didn't want to tell James what else he saw.

"What?" asked James, completely flabbergasted. "Isn't your grandfather there?"

That got Scorpius out of the bed. He shoved his trainers back on and flicked his wand over to them to tie the laces. "We have to go," said Scorpius.

James said, "How are we going to get there?"

Scorpius replied, "We can get there, but using a fireplace. We need to get into Diagon Alley. There isn't a fireplace in here. How could he not have a fireplace in here?" He looked around him. The warehouse was massive, but there really wasn't a fireplace. His dad must have just popped in and out and used Muggle transport.

The boys set out off to go outside. Scorpius locked up the house, using a spell. "Isn't Malfoy Manor unplottable like the school? How could Zabini get there?" asked James. "And why would he go to your grandparents' house?"

"I don't know. He must have had a good reason to. Or he wants me to go there," said Scorpius. He didn't really care to know the answer.

"Yes, he does," said a voice that sent a tremor of fear down Scorpius' spine.

James barely had time to turn and see who it was before he heard, "_Stupefy_." James was knocked to the ground.

Scorpius drew his wand and in a leveled voice asked, "What are you doing here, Lucius?"

Lucius glared at him for the use of his first name. The child was as vexing as his father. "I've been looking for you since the news came from the school that you've gone missing. It's all over the papers, including the abduction of Lily Potter. I knew you wouldn't be foolish enough to go Manderlay or Greengrass Glen. And since you're so comfortable with Muggles, it was an easy guess. The Aurors assumed you're out in the woods somewhere. They're more concerned about locating Potter's daughter, than looking for you."

Scorpius had counted on it. The use of Muggle transportation had kept their escape harder to track down by wizards. "Why bother to come and find me?" asked Scorpius. "Don't tell me, you're actually worried. You wanted me dead."

Lucius said, "You are just like your father, assuming the worst of me. Did it not occur to you that we might have the same goal?"

Scorpius tilted his head in a stubborn, defiant manner. "What would that be?" he asked suspiciously of the man who had given him and his grandmother nothing but grief for the last two years.

"You want to stop Blaise Zabini," said Lucius.

James groaned like he was waking up. Lucius raised his wand. Scorpius could see the malicious intent in Lucius' eyes. He immediately raced forward and clamped his hand over Lucius'. "Don't hurt him!" yelled Scorpius.

Lucius pulled his arm away from Scorpius. "Why shouldn't I, Scorpius? Is he a friend of yours?" he questioned with the utmost distain.

"No," admitted Scorpius. "We're not friends, but that doesn't mean you can hurt him either." Draco would have never defied Lucius to his face at that age. Scorpius added, "Please don't."

James didn't stir again. Lucius didn't raise his wand arm again. "He has Malfoy Manor," he told Scorpius. "I took it off the plot. He's kept it shifting."

"Ah, that's why you're still alive, but why would you leave the house?" asked Scorpius.

Lucius replied, "I needed to get away for a while."

"You are such a liar," snapped Scorpius, shaking his head.

"How do you know it wasn't true?"

"There's more. There's always more."

Lucius studied his grandson. He wasn't the small bright eyed child who could smile and pout his way to get whatever he wanted. "I know about that spell your father cast to protect you," he said.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"We need to get to the house."

"He's got Lily Potter," said Scorpius as if Lucius already didn't know that. "She's still alive. He's killed your house elf and pinned her to the family tree tapestry."

Lucius' pale face was passive. "He's clever. I suppose he wants to get even for me burning down his house with his mother still inside." He was very blasé about it like someone who just swatted a fruit fly.

Scorpius' jaw dropped as he sputtered, "You burned his house down? You?"

"He killed my son. It doesn't make us even."

"No, it doesn't."

Lucius said, "We must send word. I'll do it. Take care of this." He gestured at James' prone body. "Put him inside. He can hold off the Aurors for us."

Sadly, Scorpius had good reason not to trust his own grandfather. Time and time again Scorpius' dad had warned him not to listen to his grandfather. There was going to be many things that night that Scorpius was going to regret. Listening to Lucius wasn't going to be one of them.

Using his wand, Scorpius levitated James and brought him back into the warehouse. He put him into the chair in the bottom floor and went to go get the sleep draught to keep James knocked out for the time being.

As Scorpius did this, Lucius had long thought his soul was dead, but it was still stirring as he dispatched his message to Zabini using a special spell that was an owl that would dissolve as soon as the message made it. Lucius didn't set foot inside the warehouse at first, and then he proceeded inside. Inside, he was surrounded by his son's life's work. It was one thing to know, it was another to see it. It was so foreign to Lucius.

Lucius unconsciously twisted the band on his left finger. It was a nervous habit. He watched Scorpius walk up to him. He felt a tug at his heart. When Scorpius returned, there was an awkward silence. They stared at each other in a distrusting manner. For a moment, Lucius could see the little boy who was inconsolable when his father went away, but would smile after Lucius talked to him. That very sweet little boy had been replaced by a very annoying teenager.

Scorpius noticed that his grandfather was twisting his wedding band. "Why do you and Grandmother still wear your wedding rings?" he asked very much the same way he used to when he was little.

"We're still married," replied Lucius.

"Only because you won't sign the papers," Scorpius ruefully reminded him. "Why not?"

"I will sign when this is over," answered Lucius gruffly.

"You know you could just apologize for being a prat and Grandmother would take you back," pointed out Scorpius. "I know her."

Lucius said, "It is not as simple as that."

Lily had crawled over to where the small light was. Her eyes couldn't adjust. It was terrifying to be trapped in a wall. She pulled her hairclip out of her hair and held it close to her chest. She had lost the other one. It made her want to cry. She wondered what would happen to her. Would she die quickly or slowly? These were not thoughts that she ever thought she had to entertain. She wanted to go home more than anything, not back to the school, but home where her mum and dad were.

She was mad at herself because she was stupid. She was stupid to think that Scorpius would even write a letter, having never done so before. She rubbed her neck, knowing that it was probably going to bruise. She could feel the life being choked out of her. Maybe, Zabini was going to kill her like that or use the same spell he had done onScorpius, but make sure he finished her off.

Lily didn't know that there were two separate efforts being made to find her and bring her home safe. She had faith that her dad would be the one who would come and get her. Her father was a hero and everyone knew it. He had solved some of the toughest cases. Still, she was scared he wouldn't come. Not that her dad had ever let her down before.

She pulled her coat closer to her body. It was cold in the place where she was stowed in. She had to think of something, some way to help herself get out alive. There was no peace. She couldn't sleep, never mind the thoughts of her own life at stake, but the fact that wherever she was at, it was rumbling and vibrating. She could feel it shifting and moving.

She had curled herself into a small ball in the corner of wherever it was she was at. She could feel the dust and the mold. The air was stale and smelled musty and old. She also had seen some spider webs. She knew wherever she was it was old very old. Lily did something she could do. She took out the hairclip again and using it, she scratched into the wood. Even without seeing what she was scratching, she could still tell what it was. She ran her fingers over it to clean off the excess wood. She had scratch: "Lily Luna Potter was here."

Lucius could see that his grandson was growing up. "Your father never liked Harry Potter," he told him. "He had offered to be friends their first day, but Potter decided to side with the Weasleys even then."

"You know what Dad's philosophy was if it didn't work before, it's time to try something new," said Scorpius. "Besides, you're one to talk. Your judgment of the company you keep isn't exactly stellar. Aren't most of them in Azkaban?"

"Not any better than the company that your father kept," retorted Lucius. "But really, Albus Potter?"

"Don't say I don't have any standards," said Scorpius defensively. "I didn't have any friends until Al. If anything he's the one who had to lower his standards."

Draco had often told Lucius just how sad Scorpius was when he was because he had no friends. Lucius didn't see what the problem was. He just assumed that the other children avoided him because of his personality. Or they didn't realize what a great kid he was. Lucius was going to say something else, but Scorpius winced. He had his hand over his scar. There was a tapping at the glass. "It's a crow," said Scorpius. "Why does he use crows?"

"They're intelligent creatures who are darker than owls," said Lucius. "They'll attack each other." He took the letter. He didn't read it out loud. "He will stabilize the house for us to let us get in."

"Just like that," said Scorpius. "It sounds too simple."

"It is not simple," said Lucius. His features flickered for a moment. It was a micro expression, one that happened so fast that Scorpius couldn't detect it. "Go and gather some things. We have to go. We don't know what we'll find in there. Make sure that Potter is still out."

Scorpius nodded and did what he was told. Lucius glanced at the letter from Zabini again. He crumpled it in his hand and without the use of his wand, set it on fire. He let it drop and watched it burn just as Scorpius returned with a bag that he had found among his father's things. "I'm ready," he said, shaking Lucius back into reality.

Lucius let the letter burn out on the painted concrete floor. "Let's go," he said.

The Aurors weren't having much luck as to locating Zabini. The additional problem of Scorpius and James going missing was another thing that Harry definitely did not need. So, he couldn't even face his nephews and nieces because he was too angry to do so. The children were relieved. Ron was giving Harry a cup of coffee, tea was too mild for the circumstances, even though he didn't need it. "If we find Scorpius, we find Lily," he told his brother-in-law.

"He walked right through our doors," said Harry angrily. "He sat there talking to you about what he knew about the murders. You saw what he did to those little girls." He was shaking at this point. He was heaving for air.

Ron said, "Teddy said that the last thing that Scorpius said was that she was alive. We know that if Scorpius knows for sure, then she is."

"That was hours ago, Ron," said Harry miserably. "What can he do? He's a kid. What can he do that we can't?"

Ron was surprised by this. "By the time you were his age, Harry, you faced Tom Riddle not once, but four times." He held up his hand to show the fingers. "Scorpius has survived one of the most brutal attacks any of us has ever seen and has lived to tell about it. He's trained up more than you were at this point by Neville. He's smarter than you. I'm not saying let's sit this out, Harry, but we have to believe that he's got a better chance of finding her than we do."

"You know that Zabini went after her because he knows how Scorpius feels about her," said Harry. "Did you notice anything?"

"You're asking the wrong person, Harry," said Neville as he came back on a broom. "And don't worry. Scorpius is half scared of Lily's feelings for him."

"What do you have to report, Neville?" asked Harry.

"We've been to the regular haunts that Zabini has been to. There aren't any clues there. He's gone some place else. We're canvassing the Muggle places he went to; we even posted something for the Muggles. They're keeping an eye out, but they know they're going to have to alert us. There's no way they can take on Zabini," reported Neville smoothly. "Any word on Scorpius or James?"

"None," said Ron. "I'm going to wring my godson's neck as soon as I find him."

"Yeah, well, I couldn't do that to my godson who help aide your godson's escape," said Neville. "His mother is keeping him plastered to her side where she can keep an eye on him."

"You want to go and look for them, Neville?" asked Harry. "Ron believes that Scorpius has the better chance of finding Zabini first."

Neville said, "I've been thinking about it. Mrs. Malfoy is very worried. There's someone else who's gone missing that no one is looking for."

"Who?" asked Ron.

"Lucius Malfoy. He's gone underground almost the same time as Zabini. He hasn't shown up at court or any meetings with lawyers. The lawyers don't mind. They bill even if he doesn't show up, but Narcissa said it's not like him to put in a petition for full custody of Scorpius and not show up to execute it," said Neville. "Narcissa said that when the lawyers attempted to reach him, they couldn't find him. They couldn't find the house."

"What do you mean they're missing the house?" asked Harry. "I mean it's unplottable, but we can find it."

"That's just it, it's unplottable by Muggles, but like all the old houses there's a spell that can move the house around itself," explained Neville. "Malfoy Manor has been around since 1066, making it one of the oldest manors in England."

"How do you know that?" asked Ron.

"The Longbottoms have been here even longer and so have the Weasleys. The Blacks have the oldest house among us," replied Neville. "It's part of the pure bloods of privilege upbringing. Anyway, Mrs. Malfoy tried to reach the vacation home in Normandy, but no answer."

"It's not a coincidence that Malfoy's missing at the same time as his grandson and my daughter. He knew that it was Zabini all along. He never told us," said Harry. "He could have told us and we could have put an end to this already."

"But why not tell us?" asked Ron.

Harry answered, "Because he intends to kill Zabini. He had no intention of letting us arrest him. I'm prepared to let him if he can get my daughter back in one piece."

"That's not how Aurors work, Harry," objected Neville. "I know you want justice, not vengeance. That's what separates us from people like Malfoy. Even Draco Malfoy never killed anyone. He turned people over to the authorities. We need to do our procedures. It would be dishonorable for us not to. It would be disrespectful to the memory of Scorpius' family. Zabini needs to face his crimes in court."

"As far as I'm concern, the only justice Blaise Zabini deserves is a slow and painful death," said Harry.

Scorpius' insides felt like they were being torn apart and this time it wasn't because of the scar. It was because of the side along Apparition. He kept steady on his feet and let go of Lucius' arm. They were on the grounds of Malfoy Manor, but the house itself was gone. It looked like an empty field. Scorpius looked at Lucius. He hadn't been there in over two years. Was it always so desolate and empty?

"Lucius, what do we do?" asked Scorpius, feeling uneasy. The scar was now prickling.

Lucius answered, "Scorpius, whatever happens from this point on, I need you to trust me. Can you do that?" This time the emotion was plain on his face. There was a desperate look. It was a shadow of the one that Scorpius' father had just before he died. The wind was churning around them. "This maybe the worst thing I ever do."

Scorpius wanted to ask what he meant, but the house had materialized just in front of them. Lucius grabbed the wand out of Scorpius' hand. "What are you doing?" he exclaimed.

"Get inside."

* * *

Author's Note: I figure with a French last name the Malfoys would have come with the Normandy Invasion, hence the year of the house being built. Harry's in a dark place.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	68. Part 68: Malfoy Manor At the End

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Sixty-Eight: Malfoy Manor

Scorpius heard the harsh edge to his grandfather's voice. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Get inside," repeated Lucius.

Scorpius scowled. He should have known better than to trust Lucius. He didn't have a choice. Lily was inside the house. He was going to do whatever Lucius ordered him to do. He went up to the door and it swung open. Lucius didn't point the wands at Scorpius. As soon as they passed through the threshold, the door swung close in a deafening slam. There was no way out now. There was a strange humming sound. "What's that noise?" whispered Scorpius.

"That's the house shifting again," replied Lucius. "He's not going to let it be."

"Then we'll have to work fast and get out," said Scorpius.

Lucius didn't say anything nor would he give Scorpius back his wand. He motioned Scorpius to go ahead of him. Scorpius only did so they could get to the main drawing room where the family tree was hung. Unfortunately, it was also where the house elf was hung. Scorpius' scar was burning as bad as it ever had. He started to double over with pain.

Blaise Zabini was waiting for them. He looked like he had made himself at home. "Well, as always, it's good to see you, Lucius," he purred. He glanced at Scorpius. "I didn't think you'd do it."

"Do what?" demanded Scorpius as he glared at Lucius.

"He doesn't know how depraved you are," said Zabini with a humorless laugh. "You see, Scorpius, your granddad decided that he'd rather get a shot at getting his revenge than keeping you safe. I wasn't going to meet with him unless he had something I want. This is a bad version of Abraham and Issac."

Scorpius looked utterly horrified as Lucius said, "You made a mistake, Zabini. Not just killing my son, but taking my house. You're on my ground. I am master of this house."

Zabini raised his wand, but Lucius threw a hex at him that knocked him off his feet. There was laughter coming from Zabini. It was throaty and disturbing. "Your son was weak. He died like a little bitch begging for his son's life," he laughed. He got up to his feet and spat out some blood. "You'll die the same way."

"Why did you do it?" demanded Scorpius.

"Because he thought he could change," replied Zabini. "We are what our parents make us."

"You were wrong," said Scorpius. "People can change. They control their fate. Not someone else. You killed him because he wasn't like him." He threw Lucius a glance.

"What does it matter?" shouted Lucius. "You will pay for what you've done!"

Zabini threw a spell that scattered the Malfoys. Scorpius ended behind the sofa as Lucius was thrown against the wall. He had never seen his grandfather duel before, but something told him that it wasn't a good idea to stick around. The sofa was closer to the entrance. "Go ahead and run!" shouted Zabini madly as he saw Scorpius making a dash for the door. "Go ahead and find her. When I'm done with him, I'll come for you two."

"The attic!" shouted Lucius. "Or the basement!"

Scorpius ran into the hall, but there was something wrong. It looked distorted. The house had come alive. It was shifting on its own. There was a blast coming from the duel. Scorpius had to figure out a way to get around the house. He had spent his early childhood exploring it when he came over to visit. He didn't have a wand with him. He was going to have to find Lily without it.

"Lily!" he shouted. "Where are you? Lily!"

Scorpius' voice echoed. If he had his wand, he could have amplified his voice. Then he felt the floor shift under him, he lost his balance and fell hard on his backside. He was going to rock himself up, but it didn't seem like a good idea. He could hear the duel still going on inside. Then, the doors blasted open. Fire balls came out and cut off the path back to the drawing room.

"You burned my house down!" shouted Zabini. "I'm just returning the favor!"

"Argh!" shouted Lucius as he threw a spell.

Zabini laughed. "That's supposed to be the Cruciatus Curse? Are you joking? What are you going to do tickle me to death?" he taunted. "I'll give you credit. You've got more guts than your son. He wouldn't even use one Unforgivable Curse."

Scorpius scrambled to get to his feet. Zabini threw a spell that almost hit him. "I'm not going to even try that curse again on you, Scorpius. Obviously, it didn't work. I do wonder how much better Lucius will look with a hole in his head." Without turning to look at Lucius, he pointed his wand, "_Sectumsempra._"

"_Protego._"

"When I killed those Muggles in London, it was like putting down animals," said Zabini. "They're cattle. Mindless beasts. I was content killing them, but Draco, self-righteous son of a bitch, had come and spoil my fun. Who did he think he was? Harry 'Bloody' Potter?"

"Do be quiet!" roared Lucius.

Scorpius was gasping. His scar was on fire, but he couldn't just lay there. He had to get back on his feet.

Some time later, James woke up. He was still stuck in the warehouse. He was in a chair and realized that he was on his own. He was trying to remember what had happened. He saw something though in front of him. There was a note that was left behind. Scorpius had taken the time to do it. It was very short: "Get help to Malfoy Manor. Go to Diagon Alley."

James thought about it. Scorpius was gone. James had to decide what to do. How was he going to get help? He was in the middle of London. He didn't know enough about Muggles to get around the city. He dug into his pockets. He knew where Diagon Alley was. Scorpius laid out a map. "Great, Malfoy, how am I supposed to get around with just a ruddy map?" said James out loud. Then he remembered the money that Scorpius told him to take. He fished around in his pockets. "Never mind."

He grabbed the map and headed back outside. He was going to have to find his way to Diagon Alley. He just hoped that he hadn't been out for long. This was starting to look like the longest night of his life. Scorpius didn't have enough time to set up the route for James to take. James didn't have time to waste. If he had to get some help. He decided that he would have to find his way one way or another.

He decided to forgo the maps that Scorpius had left for the public transit system. He was going to figure out another way. Instead, he hailed a reliable London cab and gave the address to the Leaky Cauldron. The cabbie, of course, knew it. He gave the cabbie a large tip and ran into the Leaky Cauldron. Now wasn't the time for James to bask in the limelight of being Harry Potter's son. He pulled the hood of his sweatshirt up. "Aunt Hannah!" he called out as soon as he got inside.

Hannah Longbottom was upstairs, putting her daughter down. There was a lot of whispering going on. People were talking about the news. They hardly noticed James, who pulled his hood up, even more. He went up to the bar. Before the man at the counter could say anything, "I need to talk to Mrs. Longbottom. Do it quietly, please."

The man nodded and went to go find Hannah. She came back down and saw James. "This way," she said, gesturing him to follow her to the back room.

Before they got inside, James said, "I need to get a hold of my dad. I know where Lily and Scorpius are."

"What happened to Scorpius? Neville said that you and he went off together to find Lily," said Hannah.

"He was taken. I don't even know what happened. We were going trying to figure out how to get to Lily and we just got out of this warehouse that Scorpius' dad owned. Anyway, someone came. I was knocked out. I woke up and Scorpius' gone. He left this note," James hurriedly said. He handed the note to Hannah.

She nodded, "Let's get the Aurors."

Lily was jolted from what little sleep she was able to get. She had no idea how long she had been in the dark. What woke her were the walls shaking. She thought that Zabini was coming to get her. She then heard the sounds of what was like muffled blasts. The Aurors had come. She started to shout, "I'm in here! Get me out of here!" She pounded her already sore fists against the wall. "Please! Get me out!"

Whatever was happening, no one could hear her. Something very wrong was going. She could tell. "Help me!" she screamed. "Help me!"

She crouched down on the floor and tried to see if there was a seam. She was getting desperate. She could hear the noise below her through the floor boards. She pounded her hands against the floor. She had no idea that she was currently in a safer place than Scorpius was.

As Lily desperately tried to get out of where she was, Scorpius was trying to get up. His scar was on fire. He had to block the pain out. The place was smoking. A fire was breaking out. The walls were blasting and particles were flying. He had to move. He got up, groping against the wall. He was staggering. The air was filling with smoke, filling his lungs. He could hear incantations.

A voice came through his head. He was blocking it out, but it came only stronger. "Get up. I can't help you get up," said the voice. "She's in the attic. Get her out of here."

"Dad?" whispered Scorpius. He straightened and forced himself onward. He had to get up to the attic. He knew a short cut through the library. The further away he got from Zabini, the less pain he would be in. The thing about old houses was that there was always more than one way to get to main area. He now understood what his mum meant when she said his dad was nearby.

Scorpius went through the library and went to the small silver staircase there and climbed it up to the top level. There was a rare collection of books and articles written by his ancestors in a locked room. He had to use the kit that he had brought with him among the things he had taken from his dad's warehouse. He was able to get it open and got inside. He went to the very back of it and pulled down the hidden staircase. It was his dad who showed it to him.

Scorpius climbed up into the attic. There was a rumble. The house was shaking. It was bad if he could feel it up to the attic. Malfoy Manor had survived many things; including being the headquarters of the Death Eaters for two years, but the house was starting to feel the damage that was being caused. He had found a torch that was his dad's. He turned it on it.

The attic was like a maze, filled with all the artifacts that belonged to the Malfoy clan over the years. Scorpius wondered if any of his forefathers ever threw anything out. "Lily!" he shouted. He wondered why it was so dark in there. Sure, it was night time, but it was also a very bright night with a full moon. There was a window in the attic, an antique one made of glass. This wasn't the first time Scorpius had been up there.

One time, his dad took him up there to look for something. Scorpius didn't remember it being so dusty, but then again it didn't help that his grandfather and Zabini were dueling below them and that it was shaking the house. It was making parts of the ceiling come down. "Lily!" he called again. Then he dawned on him, why it was so dark. "I'm a bloody moron!" he declared. He ran forward.

No wonder it was so dark, a wall had been added to the attic. It sealed the real exterior wall. The only reason someone would do that was to keep someone inside. "Lily!" he shouted. He couldn't hear anything. He didn't touch the wall. Not yet.

Lily couldn't hear Scorpius from her side of the wall nor could he hear her. Scorpius did something that might have been a mistaken under different circumstances. He put his hand on the wall and it wasn't solid from his side. It went straight through.

It was too dark for Lily to see that there was a hand on the far side of the wall, so there was no warning when the rest of Scorpius went through it. "Lily?" he asked.

Lily was startled, recognizing his voice. "Scorpius?" she whispered. "Is that really you?" She was a bit suspicions. She pulled away from him.

"Lily, it's me," said Scorpius, hearing the doubt in her voice. "It's really me. I'm so sorry about this, but I need you to believe me. We don't have much time. The house might come down under our feet."

"No," said Lily firmly in her doubt. "It's not you."

"I didn't write the letter," said Scorpius. He turned on the torch and lit up the small sliver of space that Zabini had locked Lily into. Lily could see him, but she still couldn't believe it was him. He could see her. She was a mess. Her hair was down and her neck was bruised. Her eyes were puffy and her cheeks were tear stained. He felt a surge of anger. "Did he do that to you?" he asked, gesturing at her neck.

She put her hand her neck. Scorpius could see that her hand was bloody; the skin had broken from her pounding against the wall. They were already swelling. Her eyes were bright and wide, but they were filled with fear. She stepped back from him. Then there was a loud blast that shook the entire house. She jumped at it like a scared animal. "Is it really you?" she asked again, wanting to believe it more than anything.

"Yes," said Scorpius as he dug into his pocket. He pulled out the hairclip. "You dropped this." He showed it to her.

"It's you!" cried Lily as she ran forward and nearly tackled him to the floor. She started to really cry into his chest. "You're here. You're really here."

Scorpius wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. "I'm sorry about this. I did warn you, didn't I?" he asked her. "We have to get out of here."

Lily pulled herself together and said, "I've tried getting through this wall. It's blocked. You can get in, but you can't get out. Do you know where we are?"

"We're in Malfoy Manor," said Scorpius. "There isn't much time for an explanation. The faster we get out of here, the better. We need to find a way out of here." He kept one arm on Lily as he used the other one to direct the torch around them. "The window's here."

"How far up are we?" asked Lily.

"We're in the attic and the house is five stories high," answered Scorpius. "So we're actually six up off the ground."

Lily said, "I knew we were high up as he made me go up the stairs, but I didn't know how high. This is your house?"

"My grandparents' house," corrected Scorpius. "This was the place where my dad grew up."

"Delightful," said Lily in a shaky voice. Scorpius had to search through his dad's things. He let go of Lily to do it. "What's all that? Where'd you get it?"

"It's my dad's stuff," said Scorpius. "He used it when he worked, but your dad collected most of the stuff that was useful." He found the special kit that he used earlier to pick the lock to get to the attic. He handed Lily the torch. "I need you to shine the light while I get this window open." Lily nodded. He saw how badly damaged her hand was.

"He didn't do this," said Lily as she gestured with her hands. "It was me. I panicked. I just wanted to get out."

"You may have done it, but it's his fault," said Scorpius harshly as turned to the window and started to hard work of taking out the glass. The thing was that the glass was shatter proof with a spell, but that didn't mean that Scorpius couldn't take out a big chunk of it from the outside. He let big sheets of the glass fall on the ground. Each drop reminded them just how high they were. As he did it, the moonlight was spilling in and the cold, winter air hit them. Lily pulled her coat closer.

"Aren't you cold?" she asked him.

"I'm a winter baby, Lily," he answered. He had opened the window wide enough for them to get out. Then another rumble happened and he almost fell, but Lily grabbed him before he could. "We seriously need to get out of here."

"How?" asked Lily, holding onto him.

"Uh," said Scorpius as he searched through the bag. "I didn't take the rope. Why didn't I take the bloody rope? It was right there. I'm a bad rescuer."

"It's okay," said Lily reassuringly. "At least you got fresh air in here. I'm never going to take that for granted again."

Scorpius knew that getting out of the house had to happen. He didn't even want to think about how Lucius was holding up. He had to come up with something. He had to help Lucius because if he didn't Zabini was going to come after him and Lily. There wouldn't be a safe place after that. Scorpius felt his scar throbbing. There was a way out. They would have to take it. "Lily, do you trust me?" he asked her after a few minutes of quiet reflection.

"Yes," answered Lily. She had been watching him. He was in deep thought and she was quiet during that time. It was one thing to know that he had done things, but it was another to watch him as he thought about it.

"There's no way back through the wall," said Scorpius as he touched it for emphasis. His hand didn't go through it. "Even if it is, there are a few fires down there and without a wand; I'd rather not chance it. This is the way out." He pointed at the open air.

"That's a long way down," said Lily, "but I trust you."

Scorpius wrapped his arms around her. He moved her in front of him and put his back against the edge. "I really hope this works," he said. He took a deep breath. He thought to himself, _Dad, please help._ He was concentrating. He had one thing that didn't need a wand. He took a deep breath and fell back, taking Lily with him.

Naturally, Lily started to scream as they dropped. Scorpius shut his eyes. He had positioned his body in such a way that if they did hit the ground hard, he would take the brunt of it. Scorpius concentrated. He had never attempted to control the shield before, but now was the time to try it. _Dad…help._

Then, the falling sensation had stopped. Scorpius opened his eyes and realized that both he and Lily had shut their eyes when they stepped out of the attic. "Lily, you can stop screaming," he said gently. "Open your eyes."

Lily opened her eyes. There was something surrounding them. It was a bubble that was iridescent, shrouding them in warmth and light. "How?" she whispered. They had even turned up right onto their feet and then, as softly as possible, they touched the ground.

"My dad," replied Scorpius. "It's the shield that he died to give me." He let Lily go and it faded away.

"What do we do now?" asked Lily as the house flashed in and out. They could see the flames coming from inside of it.

"We don't do anything," said Scorpius. "You need to stay out here." He took off the bag he had with him and gave it to her. "I need to get back inside and help my grandfather."

"You can't," said Lily.

Scorpius said, "The Aurors are coming. They have to. I made sure that James could get help. It's about time. They've got to be around here somewhere, but they won't be able to find us. We need to signal them to get them here."

Lily said, "All you've got is this torch. It's not bright enough. It won't bring them here. You can't go back in there."

"I've got to try," said Scorpius.

"You don't have a wand, Scorpius," Lily reminded him.

Then an epiphany came to Scorpius. It explained why Lucius had taken his wand from him. The shielding spell worked better as a passive defense than as an active one. He thought back to the times when he didn't use it and the results were in his favor. He would have to trust that his dad left him with the ultimate defense. It had already proven itself once that night. "I don't need one," he said simply. He then raised his left arm. "We need to signal the Aurors to bring them here. Even if we used a light bright enough they'll think it's a trap. I'm going to use something to show them it's me."

Doing magic without a wand was possible. There were several classes of magic that did it, but they weren't typically taught in schools. It was also a matter of energy management. A wand contained a core that allowed the caster to cast multiple spells without fatiguing the caster. The wand's core channeled the caster's energy. However, wizarding children did accidental magic all the time growing up, and Scorpius had done more than his share of damage without a wand. "_Expecto Patronum!_"

Lily was stunned speechless as a patronus erupted from Scorpius' fingertips. It manifested itself in a massive, silver dragon. Even without a sound, it roared and spewed fire. Scorpius felt a small amount of exhaustion, but then again casting a patronus was draining even with a wand. "It's beautiful," whispered Lily.

"Go, find the Aurors. Bring them here!" he ordered the patronus. Without hesitation, it took to the air. He was getting ready to go inside, but Lily grabbed his arm.

"Don't go," she pleaded. "You can't run into a burning house. It's crazy."

"I promise you, Lily, that I'll come back," said Scorpius solemnly. "But I've got to finish this. I will come back." Lily nodded and let go of his arm. Scorpius gave her a long look before he took off. He had to wait for the house to shift back right in front of him. Lily held on to the bag he had given her, holding it close to her chest.

Scorpius went through the front door. It was absolute carnage. The house's furnishings were torn apart and splinters of wood were scattered everywhere as well as shards of glass and porcelain. The door shut behind him. He had never seen the house in such a state. The walls were blasted. Everything that was in the house was pretty much wrecked. "Zabini!" he called. "You want me? Come and get me!" No one heard him. They must have been dueling further away from the entrance. "Figures. No one can hear me when I want them to listen."

Scorpius shrugged and went further into the house. It was getting hotter and hotter as he went inside. He stepped onto something. It was glass. It was a picture of Scorpius' dad as a child. He picked it up and then put it back on the wall. The portraits were staring at him.

"What in Merlin's beard is going on?" demanded one of the portraits. They all clamored as Scorpius ignored them. Zabini and his grandfather were evenly matched and equally malicious. He ducked as a hex almost hit him.

Scorpius' training with Professor Longbottom meant that he knew a few defensive spells, but without a wand he didn't have much of a chance. The only thing for sure he had was the shield. He walked straight into the line of fire. "Scorpius, what are you doing back here?" demanded Lucius.

"I really couldn't let you have this all to yourself, Lucius," said Scorpius. He looked straight at Zabini. His scar hurt as he felt the hate come from him. "I can't let you kill him. I want the world to know what he did. I want him to live for a long time afterwards."

Zabini laughed. He was hysterical as he listened to Scorpius' words. "You are as much a fool as your dad. As soon as I'm done here, I'm going to celebrate."

Scorpius turned to his grandfather. "You said you needed me to finish this. I'm here," he told him. They stared at each other for a long moment. They were in the room where they had had the Christmas tree and where all Scorpius' presents were every year.

Lucius said, "I'm sorry for this." It was the only apology that Scorpius was ever going to get from the man.

Zabini had taken advantage of the moment. He came up from behind and grabbed Scorpius. There was a crackle that came from the shield. "What is this?" he asked with a fiendish gleam. "Another one of Draco Malfoy's tricks?"

"My dad was always a planner," said Scorpius. "You're going to stand down because you can't hurt me."

Lucius raised his wand. "The only justice I want is now. This ends now."

Scorpius could see the tip of his grandfather's wand. It lit up green even before he could say the incantation. "Grandfather, no!" he screamed, realizing what he had intended to do. He would have to get out of the way or else. Zabini instead grabbed him and pulled him in front.

"You can't kill me without killing him," said Zabini with a satisfied grin.

"_Avada Kedavra!_" shouted Lucius.

Two bodies hit the cold marble floor.

* * *

Author's Note: And with that, it's nearly over.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	69. Part 69: One More Visit to Black Manor

The Inquisitor's Son

Part Sixty-Nine: One More Visit to Black Manor

The Aurors had taken the lead they had gotten from James and were on the outskirts of where Malfoy Manor was located. The grounds were expansive and there was no way of telling where the house was. They had flown there on broomsticks. Harry paced the edge. "What now?" he asked. "We can't see the house."

"There has got to be a way," said Ron fervently.

Teddy was with them along with Neville. There were two dozen Aurors in all. Teddy saw something coming towards. It was big and bright and coming at great speed. "What is that?" he shouted.

Neville recognized it, "It's a dragon! It's Scorpius' patronus!"

Most of the other Aurors pulled back a bit at the sight of it. It was massive even up close. Its scales were detailed and its teeth were sharp. It looked at Harry, hovering in front of him. It cocked its head at him. He understood why it was there. He shouted the order, "MOUNT YOUR BROOMS! FOLLOW THE DRAGON!"

The Aurors were a well trained group and smoothly took the order. They mounted their brooms and followed the dragon that took to the air. It was traveling even faster than it did. It had to because it only had moments before it would fade out. Harry was faster than anyone with Ron close behind him. They flew the path that the dragon had cut through the grounds, not knowing that it was flying the same route that Draco Malfoy used to take when he was practicing on his broom.

It dove through thicket and wood and shimmed upside down over the lake that was on the property. Teddy shouted over the sound of the wind, "Have you ever seen a patronus do this before?"

Neville shouted back, "No, but then again I've never seen a wizard like Scorpius."

The dragon began to fade. It was weakening and then it disappeared. Harry stopped, "Oh, no." He then looked down on the ground. There was a figure standing on the white snow in red. Her hair was down like a flame in the darkness. She had a torch that she had lit in her hand. She was shining it for light. A wave of happiness and relief overcame Harry as he urged his broom to dive and land, breaking formation. "Lily!" he shouted.

Lily turned around and bounded to her father. "Daddy!" she cried.

Harry wrapped his arms around her. "Sweetheart," he said as held onto her. The Aurors touched down. He pulled back to look at her and pulled her hair back behind her ears to take a good look at her.

"Scorpius went back inside," said Lily. "You have to get him and his granddad out. The house is shifting and fading. It's burning. Daddy, please get him back."

The Aurors came prepared. They had the spells to lock down the house to keep it from shifting. They set to work setting up the wards. Neville and Teddy worked faster than anyone as Harry kept his daughter at his side. Harry looked at her and saw how injured she was. Ron gave him the first aid kit and he set to work on mending her hands. It was hard to get her to let go of the bag that she had been holding. "It's Scorpius' dad's," she explained. "He wanted me to keep an eye on it."

The Aurors finished putting up the wards. Ron oversaw the activation of it. It was turned on the house was still. It was burning. Burning to the ground, it was something that no one had ever thought they'd see. The Aurors used their wands to put the fires out and blasted the front door open and. It was hot and messy work. The snow slowly started to fall.

The Aurors had to break down the walls to get further in. Generations of Malfoy antiques and family history was laid to waste as they searched through remains of the house. Harry didn't want to leave Lily's side. He put his arm around her as she said, "There won't be anything left, will there, Dad?"

"No," replied Harry.

One of the younger Aurors shouted, "I've bodies!"

Lily let out a sob and started to cry, leaning into her father. Harry gave the orders, "Get into the wreckage. Document everything."

"What in the world?" whispered Ron.

There was a faint glow that they saw, a figure in the darkness that brought light to the dark. Harry made eye contact with the figure. It nodded at him and then faded away like the dragon had done. Teddy had come as soon as he heard the word "bodies." A smell hit his nostrils. It was the smell of burnt flesh.

"Scorpius!" shouted Teddy as he went to his cousin. His eyes began to fill with tears. He could see that Scorpius was still breathing. Scorpius had crawled over to Lucius and was almost on top of him. Lucius' eyes were wide open, staring up at nothing. "He's alive! Get a medical kit!"

By then, Ron and Neville had gotten to Teddy. "Oh, Merlin," whispered Ron, seeing that there were indeed bodies on the ground. He knew where the smell of burnt flesh was coming from. It had consumed the body of Blaise Zabini. The fact that his body didn't show a man who had fought against a fire burning him alive, he had been dead before it came to take him.

Neville had taken the medical kit from the other Auror and went up to Teddy who moved Scorpius so that he was on his back. He was breathing, but he was passed out. Neville used his wand to force more air into Scorpius' mouth. Then, he said, "_Rennervate_."

Scorpius slowly came to. He turned his head and saw that Lucius was on the ground so close to him. He let out an inarticulate cry. He reached out his hand just like before, like when his father had died and the Muggles had to take him away to save his life. Lucius was just out of reach. "NO!" he screamed.

Teddy couldn't say anything. He pulled Scorpius close and held on. Ron stepped back and walked away after a moment, hearing the heartbreaking sobs that only made him go faster. Neville walked over to Lucius' body. He looked into the eyes of the dead man. He closed his eyes.

Ron hurried back and told Harry, "Zabini's dead, so is Lucius Malfoy." He shook his head. "It's over."

Harry nodded and Lily rested her head against his shoulder. She was silently crying. The Aurors had started the work of setting the work stations. As the sun came up, the wreckage was much worse than anyone had thought. Dean Thomas had come with a healer assistant and came to check out Scorpius. Lily had fallen asleep just before dawn. Her father had carried her to a cot and stayed at her side, even though he was more tired than most of the other Aurors, he didn't rest.

Now the real work came down to an explanation of the events that had led up to the destruction of Malfoy Manor, which had been pretty much razed to the ground. Scorpius refused to be put on a cot, but allowed Healer Thomas to examine him. The Aurors had to collect the bodies and Scorpius watched them.

Zabini was thrown into a bag like it was rubbish. No doubt once he was examined, they would finish what the fire didn't. Lucius was treated with much more care. He was put onto a stretcher and a sheet was pulled over him. Scorpius barely said a word as Healer Thomas checked him out. He was so tired, but he couldn't sleep. "Does your scar hurt?" asked Healer Thomas. He had to ask Scorpius twice. "Scorpius?"

Scorpius answered, "No, it doesn't." He hadn't even noticed. He said out loud, "What am I going to tell my grandmother?" He started to rock.

Teddy was at his side. "We have to go," he said. "We'll tell her together."

Of course, there was no need to. As dawn settled over Malfoy Manor, Narcissa Malfoy came along with Ginny Potter and Hermione Weasley. The younger women went straight to where Harry and Lily were. Narcissa had been directed by Ron towards the tent where her husband had been taken. She hadn't said a word. Ron was silent as he watched her. She pulled the sheet down and saw her husband. She pressed her lips together and then she gave him a kiss on his lips. She pulled the sheet back over his face. She and Ron came out of the tent as Scorpius and Teddy with Neville just behind them came.

Narcissa took the few steps to her grandson and pulled her into his arms. He was starting to complain about not being a child anymore. He said, "I'm sorry, Grandmother."

"Shh," she whispered. "You're alive. You're not in danger anymore. You're safe now."

"He died because of me. He really did," said Scorpius. "He knew about the shielding spell. He must have after that time he came to the school and I jolted him by accident. He said it had to be over. I tried to tell him not use the Killing Curse with me in the way. When he did it, it killed Zabini and rebounded back to him off me." He had pulled away from his grandmother, looking ashamed of himself. Never mind the fact that his own grandfather could have killed him.

Narcissa said, "We'll talk about it later. All of it. You need some rest now."

Ginny and Hermione came up to them. Without saying a word, Ginny threw her arms around Scorpius. "You saved her," said Ginny as she looked up at him. "Thank you so much." She hugged him even tighter.

"Ginny, I think he can't breathe," pointed out her brother.

Ginny said to Scorpius, "Thank you." She gave him a kiss on the cheek like his mum had done before. "We owe you so much."

Harry came to say, "Ginny, Lily's waking up. Scorpius, we need a statement."

"Yes, sir," nodded Scorpius.

Ginny gave him another quick hug. She told him, "Don't let them bully you into talking, if you're not ready."

"Yes, Mrs. Potter," said Scorpius. He allowed himself to be lead away. Harry, Ron, and Neville were going to do the questioning with Narcissa and Teddy present. Scorpius wasn't afraid anymore. Nor would he be intimidated. It was time to tell them.

The questioning wasn't as slow as it had been before. Scorpius was allowed to tell his story. He told them what he knew and what had happened in the house and how in the final moments that his grandfather had apologized. It wasn't until that point did Scorpius understood what his grandfather had meant. "He knew he was going to have to die to finish it. It was just as Professor Trelawney had said. One of us was going to die," he said quietly.

"You saved my daughter's life," said Harry. "And my wife has already said we owe you a debt of gratitude."

"No, you don't," said Scorpius as he shook his head. "I had to do it. I couldn't let someone else die when I could stop it."

Harry said, "It doesn't matter. As far as we're concerned, we are grateful."

Scorpius said, "I forgot to let Lily have this." He went back into his pocket and put the hairclip on the table. "She was upset that she lost it. I would have bought her another set." He didn't say what hung in the air. He would do anything for her.

Harry took it, saying, "Thank you again."

The aftermath of the events that had culminated in the utter destruction of one of the greatest homes ever built in all of England was the biggest news of the wizarding world. Slowly, the Aurors unraveled everything that had happened. It wasn't until a week after the house was finally torn down in full did the lawyers of Lucius Malfoy deliver the last thing that he had worked on. It was brought to Manderlay where Scorpius was resting until he was ready to return to school.

"What is it?" asked Scorpius as they unwrapped the package.

Teddy and Andromeda were there, visiting. They had been visiting every night and day since. "It's from your grandfather," said Narcissa. The funeral was planned to take place the next day. It was going to be a private affair. Scorpius had volunteered to do the eulogy. He watched his grandmother run her fingers over the family seal. She broke it with her wand and opened it, "It's his will."

"I thought he changed it after Dad and Mum died," said Scorpius.

"He did. He changed it a week before he died," said Narcissa.

"What did he do?" asked Andromeda as she tried to read over Narcissa's shoulder.

Narcissa announced, "All the family property has been left to me. Half of the fortune was left to you, Scorpius. A quarter of it has been donated to the school. The last quarter was left to me."

"What?" asked Scorpius in a stunned voice. He didn't sound happy to have inherited another large inheritance. "But he said I wasn't going to get anything?"

Teddy had the letter that was on the package from the head solicitor. "It says here that Uncle Lucius only changed his will once since your parents died, Score," he said. "This was the only change he made. He had to take your dad and mum out because they can't inherit."

Scorpius shook his head and gave a smirk, saying, "That man was something. He had planned it all along."

"You come from a long line of plotters, Scorpius," said Narcissa. She went into the package. There was something else. It looked like a mirror. She touched it and it triggered. Their hearts collectively stopped when they heard Lucius's voice.

"If you are seeing this, then I'm already dead," said Lucius as the memory gram played. "And if not, we're having a good laugh." Scorpius looked over his grandmother's shoulder at this point. "I have much to apologize for, but you know me, Narcissa. I've never been good at apologies. So, I'm not going to bother to say it. I know that I've put you through a lot. I couldn't sign the papers. I just couldn't. You are my wife and I'm yours always. Nothing could, not even me, could change that. I have done what I can. I cannot live like this after Draco—"Lucius paused. "I loved him. I loved him more than I could even understand. He didn't make it easy, but my love for him runs in my veins even now. I can't let Blaise Zabini live, even if it means prison. I would rather die in prison, then let him walk free and alive. He took our son. Nothing will bring him back, but I want peace. I want the peace that comes with the knowledge that he is dead and gone." Lucius looked haggard. His voice faltered a bit when he spoke of his son. "I need to do it for our grandson. I can't tell you what I did. I can't tell you everything. Things I have to do that no one else can do. Draco was right. There is something things that I cannot speak of. Narcissa, you always have my heart and you're the guardian of the most precious thing I've got left. Keep him safe and love him."

The memory gram ended and Narcissa sank down into the chair. She finally broke down and started crying. She had avoided doing it in front of her grandson for a week. It was like a dam bursting. Scorpius sat down next to her stunned. He put his hand over hers. Andromeda rubbed her shoulder. Teddy didn't have anything. He leaned against the counter.

"That's why he didn't want to sign the papers," said Scorpius quietly. "He didn't want to make it official. He put us through Hell because he it was easier on him."

"That stupid, stupid man," muttered Narcissa. "He put me through all that because he was a fool."

"He wanted to make sure you didn't know about what he was going to do," said Andromeda. "He was protecting you both."

Lily returned to the school, a few days after Malfoy Manor. Her parents kept her at home, but she had to get back to school. Scorpius hadn't come back. She wondered if she would ever be the same again after her encounter with Zabini. She knew she wouldn't be. She had nightmares of being locked into tight places. Her hands had healed after her dad had put on some salve and the bruising on her neck was gone. Her brothers kept watch over her at the school, ready to comfort her when she would need it.

On the second night back, Lily had gotten up from her bed because she had had a bad dream. She didn't want to be in the dark. She went to the common room and sat down in front of the fire. Albus came to join her. "You can't sleep, can you?" he asked, startling her. "Sorry, I've been checking. Mum said you had some nightmares."

"I want to go to Mr. Malfoy's funeral," said Lily, ignoring Al's question. "If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be alive."

"Scorpius, wrote back, saying that they're burying him tomorrow afternoon. I'm sure we can get a pass to go. It's a Saturday."

"It feels like it all happened ages ago," she said as she put her hand on her neck. "Dad is going. Do you think he'll let us?"

"Yes, I do," said Albus. He put his arm around his little sister. "I'm just glad you're here. I knew he'd find you. He was so sure and he did."

Gryffindor had lost fifty points because of what the Potters and the Weasleys had done to get Lily back. Slytherin only lost ten, but Scorpius had gained the house twenty-five points for his remarkable courage. The year was far from over, so there really was no difference about the loss and gain of points.

The papers had so much to report. They hadn't had a week like this since the defeat of Voldemort and the Battle at Hogwarts. Scorpius was splashed acrossed the headlines as a hero. Harry released a personal statement, thanking him publicly for finding Lily and keeping her safe. Even Lucius Malfoy was given a front page obituary and there was very little mention of Blaise Zabini. For the last time, all the victims were put on the front page of _The Daily Prophet_. Lucius was the last victim.

Rita Skeeter's death was a footnote in all of this. Tragically, for a woman who made the news, she hardly generated any upon her death. The Aurors had been able to determine through shoe prints and Lucius' wand that he had been her killer, but they decided not to announce it. There was little point to. Her death had been overshadowed by the killers. Very few tears were shed for her anyway.

The Aurors were called on to do one more guard detail for the Scorpius. They were tasked with keeping the press out. No one knew exactly who would be attending the funeral. Scorpius didn't care. Going to funerals had become far too routine for him.

With Malfoy Manor gone, Scorpius had come full circle to the place where he had attended his first, the one for his parents at Black Manor. There was no way of knowing who would be coming. Scorpius changed for the funeral. He saw the scar that no longer hurt. It was still there. He was never getting rid of it. Scorpius had no additional injuries to his person. The shield remained as always, forever a part of his person. The last spell his father had ever cast would be with him for the rest of his life. As he finished dressing, he looked at himself in the mirror. He even put on proper shoes to avoid irritating his grandmother today. He would tolerate the pain and discomfort for her. But there was something missing. He went to his parents' room.

Scorpius knew exactly what he was missing. He found it in his dad's dresser. Scorpius opened the case that contained his dad's watches sand cuff links. His dad only had two rings in his life: his wedding band and the family crest that was also the seal. His dad had been buried with his wedding band. Scorpius picked up the family ring and slid it onto his right pinkie just where his dad had worn it. It was a bit loose, but he wasn't going to lose it.

By the time he came down, his cousin was waiting for him. Teddy wasn't changing his features that day. He had gone natural with mousy brown hair and thoughtful gray eyes from his dad. The cousins really looked like family. They had the same slender build. "Are you ready?" asked Teddy.

Scorpius nodded. His grandmother had left early. Teddy said, "We're not going until you've eaten these lovely scones my gran made." There was a pot of tea and a basket of scones. It was a very large basket and it looked as if Teddy had spilled more than once when he had made tea. "She's made them gingerbread flavored just for you."

"You haven't eaten yet?" asked Scorpius.

"No," answered Teddy as they both sat down to tuck in.

"Do I really have to eat all of this?" asked Scorpius.

"You know how they work. The bigger the grief, the larger the basket," said Teddy, "but you don't have to eat all of it."

When they arrived at the funeral of Lucius Malfoy, it was much larger than anticipated. Scorpius didn't see the Death Eaters his grandfather had kept company with. The Potters and all the Weasleys came. The Minister of Magic, head of St. Mungo's, and a number of important people came as well. People from the school also came including the Head of Slytherin, the Headmistress, and the Longbottoms.

Scorpius' nerves were catching up with him. "Don't wander off," said Teddy, remembering the Goyles' funeral. Ron was also keeping an eye on him, too.

Narcissa was meeting with Arthur and Molly Weasley, who expressed heart felt condolences. "I'm terribly sorry, Narcissa," said Molly.

"I always thought I'd only come to Lucius' funeral just to dance on his grave," said Arthur, "but I am truly sorry. I don't feel much like it now."

Narcissa gave a slight smile. "Funny, Lucius used to say the same thing about you, Arthur," she told him. "Up until last week, I would have invited you to join me."

Someone else came to her to say his condolences. "Narcissa, such a shame that Lucius is no longer with us," he said. "Draco, too. He was brilliant in my class, such a great potions brewer."

"Thank you for your kind words, Professor," said Narcissa, although anyone could see she was just being polite.

"Your grandson shows remarkable promise. Believe me, I know these things. It would be nice to meet him sometime," said the former Head of Slytherin.

"Some other time, Professor Slughorn," interrupted Andromeda. She called to her grandson, "Teddy, please show the professor his seat." As the professor was led away, Narcissa mouthed her thanks to her sister.

Teddy left Scorpius to do as his grandmother had asked. Albus and Fred came to keep him company. "Sorry about your granddad, Scorpius," said Fred.

Scorpius nodded, saying, "None of you had to come. It's not like any of you knew him, but thanks."

"We're here for you," said Albus. "And I wanted to thank you in person for getting my sister back."

"How is she doing?" asked Scorpius, seeing her with her parents. She had her hair up with the hairclips back in place.

"Getting better," replied Albus. "Mum and Dad are probably never going to let her out of their sight ever again."

James came up to tem. "Malfoy, sorry about your granddad. Although, he did stun me."

"That's the second time a Malfoy's knocked you out, James," pointed out Fred. James glared at him.

"Well, I didn't do it on purpose that time," said Scorpius.

Harry left his wife and daughter for a bit and came up to them with Minister Shacklebolt. "Scorpius, this is Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt. Minister, Scorpius Malfoy."

"It is an honor to meet you, Sir," said Scorpius, extending his hand.

"The honor is mine, Scorpius," said the Minister. "I've heard a great deal of you from Harry."

Scorpius was a very important person, no matter how hard he tried to downplay it. New responsiblities were going to be put on his shoulders much sooner than his peers. He was the successor of a dynasty. This was going to be the first of many meetings to come. The clock began to strike. It was time to start. "Excuse me, Ministery, but I have a eulogy give."

Everyone took their places as the service began. Scorpius sat down next to his grandmother and then the moment came for him to get up and give the eulogy. He got up and went to the podium. "My name is Scorpius Malfoy. I'm sure all of you know who I am. Normally this would be given by a son, but my dad's not here to do it. I thought to myself that I'd do it the way Dad would." Scorpius took a deep breath. He leaned into the podium, gripping the sides for support. "Many of you knew my grandfather, Lucius Malfoy, to be a difficult and harsh man to deal with. He was a bigot and a racist. He was a man who had exacting convictions and stood by those no matter how wrong he was. My dad said he was old fashion in his way of thinking to put it mildly." There was a collective gasp when he said the words that most people were probably thinking.

He looked at his grandmother, who didn't appear upset by what Scorpius had just said. "But my grandfather wasn't just one way or another. He was complex and deep. If you took the time to get to know him, you'd know that he wasn't just generous to look good. He truly believed in helping others, even if we didn't believe him. My dad used to go away a lot for his work, but it was my grandfather who picked up the pieces. He wasn't patient or affection nor did he show his emotions very well. But I knew he loved me. It just wouldn't be British for him to say it, but he did love us. This was what he wanted. He didn't want to live after my dad died. He just couldn't grieve right. He knew that he would make things right and he'd die for it. He got what he wanted. He almost always did. Lucius Malfoy was a husband, a father, and a grandfather. He will be missed much more than any of us know. And I hope he has finally found rest." Scorpius hadn't prepared any thing to read. It was all coming straight from him without a filter and his voice nearly gave out in the end.

Scorpius stepped away from the platform, but not off the podium. The rest of the service resumed. Then at the end, Scorpius stepped back to the center with the podium cleared away. He had a violin. It was the one that his grandfather had given his mum many years ago. Scorpius could feel the eyes of the funeral attendees upon him.

This was the first time he had ever played in front of anyone not family on purpose. He knew the piece he wanted to play. It was one that hardly anyone had heard before. It was the last complete song that his mum had composed before she had died. It was a proper send off.

The attendees were moved and stunned at the clarity and beauty of the music. None of Scorpius' friends, except for Lily, had ever seen him play. They didn't applaud at the end because it wasn't the proper time to do so. Lucius Malfoy would have been proud that his grandson had impressed them all.

The burial was shortly after the service. That was for private, but the group going to the graveyard was larger than ever before. Scorpius and Teddy used their wands as pall bearers to take the coffin down. The Potters looked on along with the Weasleys in solemn silence as the body of Lucius was finally put to rest. Narcissa threw the first white rose down followed by Scorpius. She was no longer covering up her tears publicly.

Scorpius supported her this time instead of the other way around as it had been for the last two years. They had gone to the graves of the family. Nearby, off in the distance by herself, was Pansy Parkinson. Her grave was simply marked with her name, birth date, and death date. There were fresh pansies that were placed there.

Scorpius ran his finger over his dad's name and pressed his fingertips to his lips and touched it. He did the same with his mum's. "His last words were, 'Don't be afraid. I need you to be brave,'" he said to his grandmother. "That's what he said."

"And you did just that," said Narcissa approvingly.

Afterwards, they ended up back at the house after the others had come and gone. Scorpius was able to take off the tie, outer robes, and the shoes. He kept careful watch over the household. He saw the thestrals grazing. They had been given some meat to eat. "You really don't feel any cold, do you?" asked Lily.

He saw her. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," said Lily as she watched him. "I guess you want to be alone for a bit."

"It's all right," said Scorpius. "You can't see the thestrals, can you?"

"No, I can't," replied Lily. "Thank you for that."

Harry was nearby watching them with Ron standing not too far away. "So, are you okay with this?" asked Ron.

"Did you ever try and talk Ginny out of liking me?" asked Harry.

"Ha," laughed Ron. "At least you know he can protect her, if he needs it."

Scorpius said, "I was just wondering what happens now. I'm not afraid of someone coming after me now. I just don't know what I'll do."

"You'll have to figure it out like the rest of us mere mortals. You know us norms," said Lily. She jumped onto the brick ledge. Her back was to the cold, but she was facing him. "Well, as normal as you can be," she added.

"Normal," said Scorpius. "I like that." It did sound pretty good to him. He could look forward to the rest of his life being normal after all the things that had happened to him. It was what he had asked for over and over again. Now, it seemed within his reach.

* * *

Author's Note: Probably one of the longest chapters for the story. Yes, I did have to throw in Slughorn because it was so annoying and it was a chance for the Malfoy to snub him after he had snubbed Draco in the books. The last part is coming.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


	70. Epilogue

The Inquisitor's Son

Epilogue: A Christmas Eve and Two Christmases

It was exactly a week before Christmas Eve. Scorpius Malfoy had dropped by the Potters' house to pay a visit with Mr. and Mrs. Potter. He had purposely waited for a day when his girlfriend wouldn't be there. She had gone Christmas shopping with her cousins. Scorpius was extremely nervous. Lily had turned twenty and he was on the cusp of his twenty third year.

Scorpius had a small box in his pocket that weighed a lot, even though it was physically weighed very little. He knocked at the front door, despite having rarely used it in years. Formal was best for the occasion. He was greeted by Ginny. "Hello Mrs. Potter," he greeted with a smile.

"Come in," said Ginny, returning his smile. "We'll have some tea. Harry is just wrapping up something at the office."

"Yes," said Scorpius as he took off his jacket and hung it.

The Potters knew why he was there. There wasn't any reason for him to be so nervous. He took the small box out of his jacket pocket before taking a seat. Harry came in. "Hullo Scorpius," he greeted as he took a seat next to where his wife would be sitting.

"Hello Mr. Potter," said Scorpius with a nod. Even after all these years, the man still put him a bit on edge.

Ginny returned with the tea. After they had sat down with some tea and biscuits, and after the small talk, they got to the real purpose of Scorpius' visit. He didn't go to anyone to ask advice on how to do this. Scorpius started out by saying, "I love Lily very much. I mean that. Well, I can't say it any other way." He paused, fumbling a bit with his words.

"You have our blessing," said Ginny immediately.

"Wait, don't we deserve him actually saying it?" objected Harry.

Ginny put her hand on her husband's arm. "Ignore him," she said.

Scorpius nearly laughed. He asked Harry directly, "May I ask your daughter to marry me, please?"

Harry looked Scorpius in the eye. He gave a long pause before saying, "Yes."

Scorpius sighed in relief. "You are going to be an ogre of a father-in-law," declared Ginny. "You shouldn't be torturing him like that."

"This was my only chance to do this," said Harry, "and I haven't forgotten what your dad did to me. And Scorpius knew I was just having a bit of fun."

Ginny sighed and asked Scorpius, "Are you sure you want to join this family?"

Scorpius laughed. "I wouldn't let my daughter marry anyone else. And he knows it," said Harry. "Besides, I can't think of anyone who can handle Lily as we well as we can."

"So when are you going to ask her?" asked Ginny. "I'd like to know so I can throw together a celebration."

"Christmas Eve," replied Scorpius. "But I need you both to keep it a surprise until I get a chance to ask."

"Then you should have waited until the day of to ask us," said Harry. He gave a sidelong glance at his wife. "Unless we wipe your memory, Ginny."

"Very funny, Harry," laughed Ginny. "No, I won't say anything. I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise." She glanced at the clock. "You'd better get going the girls are due back very soon, Scorpius. We'll have a hard time explaining why you're here." Scorpius nodded, getting to his feet. Harry offered his hand and they shook hands. Ginny gave him a hug and he was off.

A week later, Scorpius took Lily out for a sleigh ride around Greenglass Glen and to tour the surrounding grounds. He was so nervous that he had almost forgotten the ring. Then, his grandmother had to remind him to take the picnic lunch with him.

The sleigh was being pulled by the thestrals that Scorpius expertly directed. He could see them, even though Lily couldn't. She sat next to him. He saw her hand was stained with ink from writing. She was a writer. She used to work at _The Daily Prophet_ after she got out of school, but soon found that she rather liked writing fiction. She wrote using a pen name, so that people would buy for her storytelling and not her name. She had gotten published using it, and it was due out the next year. To be a nearly published writer at the age of twenty was a great feat, even if the public didn't know it.

Scorpius was training to be a healer and he was interested in combining Muggle medicine with wizarding healing. He had spent three years abroad, living in the Muggle world with Albus and Fred. However, he kept in touch unlike his dad. It was a long separation for Lily and Scorpius, but both came out knowing who they were better.

Scorpius had waited a while before asking Lily out in the first place. He got to it on his last year and her fifth year. Not that anyone was surprise. Fred had won the pool that had gone school wide, but sadly he didn't get to keep that money. He had to pay back Scorpius because he borrowed money from him.

"Are we there yet?" asked Lily as her fingers went over the necklace around her neck. It was Scorpius' mum's favorite, the one with the lily. It only seemed right that someone named Lily would wear it.

"Almost," said Scorpius. He stopped at a small tent that he had prepared earlier. He jumped off and went around. Lily handed him the basket and he set it down on the freshly fallen snow. He guided Lily down. She was small and slight.

"Are you up to something?" asked Lily. "Did you do something that you need to apologize for?"

"It depends," said Scorpius. "I've been keeping a secret."

Lily frowned a bit. Scorpius hadn't kept many secrets from her. "What?" she asked.

"Well, secret was a bad word. More like a surprise." He guided her into the tent. It was one of those tents that looked like a cabin inside. It was a beautiful tent that made Lily smile. He came up behind her and put the basket down on the table.

"I've been going to Amsterdam to get something for you. It's not a Christmas present," said Scorpius. His hands were sweaty. "I've got a very important question to ask you." He took Lily's hands into his and dropped to one knee.

Lily was stunned. "Are you serious?" she gasped.

"I sure hope so otherwise I've wasted many days going to Amsterdam," he said laughingly. "Now don't interrupt me." He gave her a stern look. "Lily Luna Potter, you are the most amazing person I have ever met. I can't imagine anyone else I'd rather be with for the rest of my life. After everything that's happened, I don't want to wait for the right moment anymore. Will you marry me?"

"Yes!" exclaimed Lily as she let go of his hand and tackled him to the floor of the tent.

"Wait, I forgot the ring," sighed Scorpius with Lily on top of him. "This all went wrong. I meant to have the ring in my hand when I asked you and have the box open."

Lily laughed as she kissed him. "I don't mind," she said as she pulled back.

Scorpius managed to get to his pocket and get the box out. He opened it and presented to her. It was a rose gold ring with an extremely rare pink diamond over what was the symbol for eternity. He slid it over her left ring finger. "Perfect," he said. He then flipped her over on her back. "You keep knocking me off my feet, Potter, both figuratively and literally."

Lily wrapped her arms around her now fiancée's neck. "I knew a catch when I saw it. I had to stake my claim, Malfoy," she playfully told him.

"How do you know I didn't know?" asked retorted Scorpius in a drawled. That sent a pleasant shiver down Lily's spine. He kissed her again and she kissed him back. Lunch was all but forgotten.

* * *

A little boy with bright green eyes and strawberry blond hair was sneaking around the corner to surprise his dad, who was sleeping sound asleep in bed with his arms wrapped around his mum. He dragged along with him an old stuffed lion that he had only recently started to carry around with him. "Daddy," he said, pulling on the blanket. "Daddy!" His dad continued sleeping. The little boy didn't like it. He pouted. He had his daddy's overly full lips, but the pout never seemed to work on his daddy. They worked on his mummy and everyone else on her side of the family.

"Scorpius," said a sleepy voice. "The baby wants you."

"He's right here already," said an equally sleepy voice. "It's not even dawn yet, is it?"

"Daddy! Happy Birthday! Happy Christmas!" exclaimed the little boy happily. "Time for you to wake up."

Scorpius let go of his wife and shifted his body. In a single swoop, he picked up his son and brought him into the bed. "Baby, it's five in the morning," he told him.

"I know, Daddy," said the little boy. "But today is a very important day. It's your birthday and Christmas, so it's super important."

"I wish he'd talk more like a regular three year old," said his wife, "but he's definitely your son."

"Mummy, kiss!" demanded the little boy and Scorpius moved him so he could get closer to her.

"Where's my please?" asked his mummy.

"Please?" asked the little boy.

"Very well," said his mummy as she gave him a kiss.

"I'm almost four," said the little boy. "One more week and it's New Year's and my birthday." He waved his little fingers in front of his parents.

Scorpius was now wide awake. It had been thirteen years to the day since his life had changed so dramatically. He was still living at Manderlay, but now with a family of his own. His wife was smiling at him through the darkness. Her hair was like a lake of fire on the white pillowcase. "This is a very busy week for us," she said. "Drake, you are absolutely right. It's your dad's very important day." She softened as she saw the look on his face. It was far away as it tended to be on this day. His hand was on his right side, over his scar. It was a habit that had never gone away.

"Lily, do you mind if I get going?" he asked after a few minutes.

"No, not at all," said Lily. She had grown into a breathtaking woman. He kissed her lips and then her shoulder. He claimed that was where his favorite freckles were. Then again, he liked all of her freckles. He stopped to give their son a kiss on his head.

"Where's Daddy going?" asked Drake. "Work?"

"No, sweetheart. He wants to see your grandfather and grandmother today," replied Lily. The day would come one day when they would have to tell him about all those things that had happened all those Christmases ago.

"I want to come," piped up Drake with a very stubborn infliction.

"Soon, I promise," said his daddy as he kissed him again. "I want you stay here and keep your mummy and Nigel warm while I'm gone. Can you do that for me?"

Drake pouted, but it wouldn't work on his daddy who gave him a pout back. "Okay, I stay here with Mummy and Nigel."

With that Scorpius Malfoy got dressed and went out into the snow to visit the graves of his family members as he had done very Christmas morning for the last twelve years. He was now a full fledge healer and had trained at St. Mungo's. He had spent three years in the Muggle world with his best mates, but kept in touch with Lily and his grandmother.

Scorpius had the car that his dad had owned before. He had learned how to drive it from Professor Chang before going on his three year tour. It was a Morgan. A custom built car that his dad had ordered for his last birthday. Scorpius always took it out for a drive on Christmas to the cemetery. It was his time to be alone on what used to be the hardest day of the year for him. It was different now.

The birth of a child changes everything. Drake Harry Malfoy came into the world a week after Christmas. The running joke was that Lily was hoping to have him on Christmas Day, but Drake decided that he wanted a day of his own. In fact, she was about ten days past due, and by the time he was born it was so late into New Year's Day that Scorpius ended up delivering the baby in their house.

While Scorpius was gone, Drake decided to bring up what he had asked Father Christmas for, but hadn't told his parents. Father Christmas had told him that he would have to ask them for this present because he only dealt in toys. "Mummy," said Drake as he snuggled up to his mummy to keep her warm just as his daddy told him. "May I please have a little sister?" he asked.

Lily made a sound that was between a gasp and a laugh. She answered, "Um…why don't we wait and ask Daddy later? Let me know what he tells you."

"Okay," agreed Drake as he looked up at her. "But I really want a little sister, Mummy. I promise I'll be the bestest big brother ever."

"It's just best, Drake," corrected Lily. She kissed his hair. She loved her baby very much. She would have liked another one. Her parents weren't thrilled to be grandparents so very early, but Drake's great-grandparents were over the moon.

Drake stole hearts wherever he went with the smile he got from his daddy. He may have had the strawberry from his mummy and her dad's green eyes, but he was definitely a Malfoy. He took advantage when he had the chance. And he was easily smarter than most of the adults he dealt with. Scorpius was an expert at foiling his plans, even though Drake seemed to enjoy playing around with his uncles. James had fallen for that pout one to many times and refused to baby sit Drake for long periods. Albus, who was his godfather, fared a bit better.

When Scorpius came back, they had the traditional breakfast of gingerbread pancakes and opening presents. Drake liked passing out the presents and it a chore he did right after he had eaten his gingerbread man shaped pancake. His daddy always had the most presents under their tree because they were also birthday presents. Drake didn't know why he only had two grandparents and why the people who smiled at him in the photographs were gone.

After breakfast, they went to The Burrow, which was always a grand event with many people gathered there. Later that night, they were going to Lake Como to have a smaller gathering with Scorpius' grandmother, but she was meeting them at the Burrow. Little Drake had been born in the lake house in Italy. He ran up ahead of his parents as soon as they went through the fireplace in search of his favorite person at the party.

"Granddad!" called Drake. He quickly found his grandfather and latched onto his leg. "I found you!"

Harry grinned and ruffled his grandson's hair. "Yes, you did, Drake," he said as he then bent down to pick him up.

"Gran," said Drake to his grandmother. She came up to them.

"Hello baby," said Ginny as she gave him two kisses. She always gave him two, one for her and one for his other grandmother.

His uncle came up to them. "Hey, little dragon, what's up?" he said affectionately.

"Uncle Jamie," said Drake with a grin that made his uncle smile back at him. He saw something in his uncle's hand that he wanted. "Is that a biscuit?"

"No," lied James, putting his hand behind his back.

"Please, may I have it?" asked Drake with a pout.

James sighed as he surrendered the biscuit. "This is why Gryffindors and Slytherins shouldn't mix," he moaned as he went in search of another biscuit.

"What do you say?" asked Harry to this grandson.

"Thank you," said Drake before biting into the biscuit. Harry held him close. He loved his grandson.

Eventually the rest of the family started to filter in. Albus and his new wife, Naomi, came for a bit late but they had presents for Drake. Louis and Ella came together with some pudding. Fred and his latest girlfriend came along with Roxanne, who was single. James never brought anyone. He said that the day he brought someone was the day he had gone crazy.

With all the family there, there were so many presents for the kids. Drake had dove in, being one of the youngest there. He went through all the presents, but in the end he wasn't very happy. What he wanted wasn't there and Father Christmas was right. Remembering what his mum had told him earlier, he decided to ask his daddy.

He went up to his daddy, who was chatting with his uncles. "Daddy, can I ask you something?" he asked, tugging on Scorpius' leg.

"Yes, sweetheart," said Scorpius. He called him the same terms of endearment of his father had used with him.

"May I please have a baby sister?" asked Drake with a very hopeful pout on his face.

There was a stunned silence as Fred and Albus along with Louis and James stared at Scorpius. "Go ask your mother," said Scorpius.

"I already did. She said to ask you," said Drake.

This conversation drew the attention of everyone else. Scorpius could feel the eyes of the family on him. "Your great grandparents have put you up to this, haven't they?" asked Scorpius. There was a smattering of laughter and snickering at this point.

"No, we didn't," said Arthur, "but we'd like him to have a baby sister, too." Molly and Narcissa, as well as Andromeda, nodded in agreement.

"Why a baby sister?" asked Albus to his godson.

"Because they already have a boy," replied Drake in the same manner that his dad did when the answer was so obvious.

"Why would you want a little sister?" asked James. "I mean they're nothing but trouble." He glanced at Fred who nodded. Roxanne kicked his shin. "They get into your things. They don't listen to you. Then, they grow up and they leave you to marry a boy you do not like."

Ginny shook her head as Harry snicker. Albus added, "But they will give you an adorable niece or nephew that who will love you very much."

"Why did you say that?" asked James. "You ruined my point."

"I finished your point," retorted Albus.

Drake's green eyes were the size of saucers as he looked up at his uncle. "You don't like my daddy, Uncle James?" he asked tearfully. James avoided the child by looking up at the ceiling. Albus smacked him upside the head.

Scorpius knelt down to his son's eye level. "Maybe," he said. "Maybe, you'll get a little sister for next year."

"That means no," said Drake, looking down.

"It means maybe," said Scorpius. He picked him up and gave him a kiss. He looked to his wife, who had spent the entire conversation laughing. He wasn't going to get any help from her on this one. She was like his own mother that way.

"I don't think you two should reproduce anymore," said James. "I can't deal with three of them. I kept saying that no good can come out of a Potter and a Malfoy mixing."

Lily gave up to her older brother and said rather sweetly, "You're just worried that there'll be another person smarter than you in this family."

"Very funny, Lily. See this, Drake? This is what I'm talking about," said James. Drake gave a stubborn tilt as he jutted out his chin. "Great, he's as stubborn as both of you." He gestured at both Lily and Scorpius.

"Please Daddy?" pleaded Drake to Scorpius. His daddy could only sigh.

* * *

The sound of crying just before dawn woke both Lily and Scorpius from sound sleep. "Score, the baby wants you," said Lily, snuggling close to her husband.

"It's my birthday," he reminded her. "She wants you."

Lily sighed and rolled out of bed. There was a little bassinet in the room as per family tradition. The baby would be here for at least six months before they moved her to her nursery. Lily couldn't help but smile at the little baby, even though she was crying. Scorpius claimed that she had her mother's lungs. Lily picked her up and she was still crying. "Shh," she hushed her daughter. She gently rocked her, but the baby wasn't having it.

"Daddy, make Vi go back to sleep," said Drake as he came into their bedroom. "I was sleeping."

"You didn't care last year," said Scorpius. He picked up Drake and put him on the bed, and then he strode over to his wife and took the baby from her. "Okay, Violet. I know, I know what you want. I was seriously hoping you'd let me have the morning off."

The little peach head child with a pout and she had gray eyes wouldn't stop crying. Scorpius looked at her and did what his dad had done with him and what he did with Drake. He started to sing. The baby stopped crying and looked at her daddy with those big gray eyes. She reached up and touched his neck. She was only about two months old. Not even two months. She was born on All Souls Day. She already loved to hear her daddy sing more than anything.

Drake was next to his mummy as Scorpius joined them in bed with his baby sister. He was a bit disappointed when she was born because she couldn't do anything, but he was his mummy's little helper. Daddy went work and worked at a hospital. Drake was now between his parents as his daddy sat down. The baby was now wide awake, but she wasn't crying anymore. Drake held out his hand she took one of his fingers. "My baby sister," he said proudly.

Violet looked at her daddy, then at her mummy before settling on her brother. Scorpius leaned over and kissed Lily. Scorpius thought back to what his mother had said to him in that dream, that wasn't a dream, so long ago. His world was a bigger one than the one that his parents had died to give him. His dad was still shielding him just as he would shield his own children. His scar was still there, even though it didn't hurt anymore. It was a reminder. It reminded him that his parents loved him. All was right in the world.

* * *

Author's Note: This is the end of the story. It was a very long story. I would like to thank all the reviewers and the people who read this piece and stayed with me through out this long process. It's been quite a ride. I didn't expect it to go this long nor did I expect so much from everyone. There are far too many people to thank in getting this done. After two years of writing this story, it is a wonderful feeling to be able to change its status to complete.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.


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